


Gym Rats

by intergalacticbooty



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Rutting, Threesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:38:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7038685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intergalacticbooty/pseuds/intergalacticbooty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are what you could call gym rats. Love to work out and it's worked for their relationship and helped their sex life as a beta and alpha, respectfully. Dean is a homeless drifter omega with just enough money to afford a gym membership to a 24 hour gym, hopefully to have a place to bathe and rest during the winter month.</p><p>My first shot at an A/B/O fic. Spawned from a conversation with Neffectual! Feedback appreciated highly! :3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Okay, so maybe they both were more than a little obsessed with working out. But hell, that’s why they worked so well together as friends and eventually as a couple. Seth worked more on flexibility and endurance, however, where Roman prioritized power and muscle mass.

Their different routines made for an interesting and satisfying sex life, also. Sure…Seth was a beta and Roman an alpha, so no ruts or heats as it isn’t possible without an omega in the mix, but both men were easily sated.

Being the ‘gym rats’ that they were, both filled with a certain level of glee when a 24 CrossFit gym with a power extension was due to open up not even 45 minutes from home, although it was kinda in the middle of nowhere. The idea of Roman being able to keep his bulk up and Seth to follow his strict CrossFit regimen without having to travel to two separate gyms.

“24 hours in an awesome perk, man…no straying eyes looking at my boys cute ass, either.” Roman said with a pinch to his boyfriend’s firm ass cheek as Seth stared at the brochure for the new gym.

Seth poked his alpha back quickly before sniffing at his neck to draw in his musky scent, shooting him a wide, gap-toothed grin. “And no one’s going to try and get their greedy paws all over my big alpha, huh? It has a mini-spa, too, some pretty boss vending machines…some that dispense hot coffee, too. A pool…the works. And…holy shit, dude.”

“What?” Roman asked as he had since abandoned being plastered behind his mate to work in their breakfast, Seth thumbing through the brochure as he sits on

“Pay $35 flat for the first six months, dude, $60 for couples…that’s…that’s insane!” He gawked.

“That’s like $10 a month…the community center ain’t even that cheap.” Seth makes a face like ‘no shit it’s $10 a month, you can do division, wow’, but Roman paid it no mind as he cracks a couple of eggs, moving away from the stove to rummaging around in their cupboards for whey powder to make some fruit smoothies.

“I’ll call the gym today, man…shit’s gonna be amazing. There’s a pool, too, and a sauna that are both 24/7, too. Fuck yeah.”

That conversation was two weeks ago and the duo had settled into the new gym with a renewed vigor and ease. Neither of them worked better separate than they did together and while it did take some adjusting to their sleeping schedules, rolling into an empty gym in the dead of winter had a special appeal for the alpha and beta.

“It’s a close enough where we could ride our bikes in the summer, too, man…” Seth chuckles as they roll in that faithful night, making a b-line for the locker room to put away their winter coats, boots, and gym bags to switch into workout clothes.

“I swear, baby, every time we come here you find something else you love about the place.” Roman shrugs a tank top over his head quickly as Seth snaps the padlock closed on his own locker.

“What can I say, big dog? I just…there’s something special about this place.”

____________________________________________________________________

It’s too cold, too fucking cold and Dean feels like he’s dying. There’s a hole in his left boot and the fingerless gloves aren’t even doing their job of warming his palms. The tears in his eyes are beginning to freeze and he’s stumbling, tripping in the cold darkness in the dead of winter. November never seemed as chilling as it did tonight.

He figured he would die from a drug overdose or a brawl or getting hit by a car or mauled by some alpha when he finally managed to actually heat, but not like this. And just as Dean feels his knees nearly ready to give out as trudges threw a few more piles of snow, hand clutching a near tree bark to try and stay afoot.

It began snowing again just then as he leans against the tree, bottom lip actually trembling as he shoves his hands in his pits. He’s greeted with nothing but cold, worn leather as he huddles into himself tighter. The dirty, raggedy beanie did little to protect his ears, the tips of them feeling froze as they sat outside with several loose curls.

Just as his vision starts to shift, starts to fade, he can see in the distance faint lights. Not sure what or where it truly is, Dean’s mind a frozen haze as he stumbles away from the tree, weight of his lightly packed bookbag feeling like 1000 lbs., climbing up the hill.

His heart his hammering, sweat actually beading down his neck as he tries to make it through the wooded area, actually beginning to laugh through his ice-roughened throat, snot pouring out of his nose when he makes it to the street.

Not even twenty feet away from the desolate street he finds ’24-hour CrossFit’ burning into his tired eyeballs as he stared at the lights pouring from the empty treadmill room out into the barren street road.

He’s tumbling and trembling as he manages to make it to the front door, the tight-lipped, long haired blonde looking up from his iPhone that was cased in a fuzzy pink fluff as he popped his gum. His name tag said ‘Tyler’ in big black letters and he smelled like a mated omega. A mated omega who gave Dean a disgusted look, like he smelled something awful.

Well, Dean supposed, that’s not entirely inaccurate as he limps up to the front counter.

“Do you have a membership?” All tight-mouthed and snooty and if Dean wasn’t half frozen he’d be tempted to clock this omega like something fierce. “You can’t use any services without a membership, sir, which I, uh, don’t think you do…”

“N-No…I fuckin’ don’t…how much does it cost, huh? I-I’m freezin’ my ass off, spit it out.” Dean was in no mood. He hadn’t bathed in nearly a week, hadn’t eaten over 40 hours, and his mouth felt dry. There were next to no homeless shelters exclusively for men and most that did allow men it had become overflown du

He popped his gum again, glaring at the filthy form before rolling his eyes. “$35 for the first six months.”

Dean gawks a little because fuck, that’s nearly all of his money. But dammit…6 months? If nothing else he could drift in and out through the winter, beginning to dig into his pockets to pull out several crumpled bills, shoving them into the blonde’s hands.

His nose scrunched up as he countesthe bills, gagging a little and Dean rolls his own eyes, already feeling better as warmth filters through his fingers and ear tips. “Where’s the shower at, Tinkerbelle?”

Tyler tilted forward, point off in the distant left behind him and Dean saunters off, whistling as he stares at the expensive joint. Everything looks pristine, brand new, and Dean can kinda understand the skepticism and gross looks the other omega gave him. He really didn’t fit in, but he was going to take advantage as he finally found a room of several shower stalls, laying his bookbag on the countertop opposite them. He began to tug off the clothing then, his dirty, shagged beanie followed by those fingerless gloves, each frozen, dirty layer covered in thick omega musk and dirt being peeled from his sore, cold flesh.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

“Can you get me an energy drink, big man?” Seth was currently breaking out in a sweat, doing some weight training with Roman as sweat dripped down the side of his cheek, the thin, beta scent invading Roman’s senses. He toyed with the idea of asking the younger male for a quick dual blowjob in the open showers as he nodded in affirmation.

“Sure thing, baby.” Roman kissed his mate on his sweaty nose, Seth blanching at that before he switched to lifting dumbbells, alternating with squats as Roman filtered out of the weight room and down the hallway near the vending machines.

There was a faint, sweet smell of an unmated omega sliding past his nose as he walked by the showers, gripping to the sweaty end of his tank top as he drunk it in because fuck. It may have been faint, even a little pained smelling, but it so pleasurable, made Roman’s face hot from more than just the exertion of his workout.

Who the hell could it be? No one came here this late and Tyler, the only employee here for the midnight shift, repulsed by his scent to a level because he was firmly mated.

But no, this was like no other scent, Roman was sure of that, but as he heard some shifting, a small grunt from the shower room echoing out into the hall, the alpha rushed away. Because he is very much mated to a very lovely beta and he shouldn’t be getting scent drunk on a stranger. Oh, and said beta would undoubtedly be annoyed if his alpha didn’t hurry the fuck up and get his drink to him soon.

So he continued his stroll to the vending machine area, putting in the money to machine with just the drink he knew Seth loved, but soon that scent was invading his senses again. Faint, somehow diluted despite Roman never smelling it before this night. Something about how it hit him made him think the owner of the scent was imbalanced, perhaps not in the best of health.

“Fuck…” A voice rasps, change jingling in the hand in front of the coffee machine and Roman hazards a glance at the scent of that impeccable scent and time seems to stop.

The omega next to him was freshly showered, a damp mop of auburn locks and bright blue eyes being complimented by soft, round cheeks covered in the workings of a red-brown beard as his eyebrows were drawn down in frustration. Upon closer observation Roman saw his jeans were raggedy and full of holes, and the long sleeve shirt he wore was fraying at the end of it, a large hole under his armpit.

“Hey, man…you okay?” The form next to him jumped then and finally faced Roman. God, his eyelashes were so long, those blues so sad and tired and his scent…fuck. He was the most beautiful omega Roman had ever seen. And if Roman wasn’t mistaken…he was clearly distraught and lost in a bad way. Looked so out of place in his ratty clothes, his hand shaking as he held a pile of change.

“Y-Yeah, just…just tryin’ to get of cup of coffee, man.” Is the gruff reply and it registers to Roman that this guy is literally trying to pay for a cup of coffee with pennies and nickels and maybe it’s the alpha in him that’s drawn to the scent or maybe it’s just his good, loving nature but he hands the omega a five.

“Here, uh, take it…”

“Don’t need your charity, bro.” The man scuffs back and Roman is taken aback, before shaking his head.

“Not charity, dude…just, take it, man.” He shrugged and before the omega could protest Roman put his hand up in protest.

“T-Then take this, dude…” The guy leaned forward, dumping the change coated in his scent into Roman’s palms. He wanted to protest, to give the money back but decided it would probably just anger the stranger, so he simply jogged off to return to Seth, yeah, to his mate.

 

“What took you so long, Ro?” Seth asked as he returned, looking a little irritated as he had moved onto lunges.

“Nothin’ dude, but uh…” Roman cleared his throat, passing the energy drink to his lover as he sat at the workout bench opposite to where he was doing lunges. “…smell this?”

“Why the hell would I want to smell a penny?”

“Just…just do it.” And Seth did, deciding to entertain his weird ass mate before his big, brown puppy dog eyes widen, looking rather lost. “That…smells really good, Ro.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some violence in this chapter.

“Do you think that omega will be there tonight, too?” Roman asked as Seth began blending their smoothies for that morning. The alpha usually preferred doing it himself because his mate went a little too heavy on the whey powder, but it was his turn to cook breakfast.

“I dunno, Ro, but I’d like to get a look at him if he’s so ‘beautiful and amazing’.” Seth puffed out his chest then, mocking Roman’s deeper tone with a nasally snort following. The alpha gave him a look and Seth stopped his chuckling long enough to reply. “But seriously, you said he didn’t look like the workout type…kinda poor looking, huh?”

“Yeah. He smelled like he might have been sick, too, but I’m not sure.”

“Well, maybe he’s homeless?” Roman gawked a little at that. If he was homeless then why would he have rejected Roman’s money? Then again, it did seem the people who had struggled the most, who were dealt the worst hand, had the most pride. That they wanted to work for their money and not receive handouts…or so his mother told him.

“He might be, but…I-I don’t know Seth, just…makes me feel a little sick thinking about that. You know male omega homeless shelters are rare, rarer than male omegas themselves. The thought of someone with a scent like that being without a home is…” Seth nodded in agreement before he placed the pink mixture of strawberries, almond milk, and whey powder in front of Roman.

“I didn’t get to see him, but…Jesus, Ro, he did smell fucking good.” The beta was a little pink at that, his cheeks burning as he finished plating his soy bacon and Roman’s old fashioned pig bacon. “…maybe we could help him out a little if we see him again? Give him some money here and there…”

The alpha agreed with that quickly, beginning to munch on his breakfast in concentrated silence. While he and Seth were happily mated, there was an unease between the two since they had both come in contact with that scent. Their sleep was rather fitful and while they hadn’t snapped at one another or anything, there was a heaviness in the air.

“Hey, Ro, you didn’t pocket that change he gave you, did you?” He asked between sips of his smoothie, idly shifting in his stool at the kitchen island, leg bumping against Roman’s.

“No, I, uh, put it in a plastic baggy above the tv.” Roman gave him a perplexed look.

“Oh, sweet, man, good…”

“Why is that good?”

“I’ll take it into Jack at work man. Y’know, that huge omega?”

“And why would you do that?”

“Well, you said the omega smelled like there was something wrong with him, right?” Seth paused to swallow before continuing. “And we can’t exactly get a scent test or anything else run for an omega we don’t even know the name of. And you know male omegas have the keenest sense of smell…maybe he could tell us what’s wrong with the guy?”

Roman was a little hesitant, feeling oddly possessive of the change before he had to mentally slap himself. Jack was a male omega himself, duh, and dual omega pairings were rare, the heats being unbearable for both mates, and hardly ever happened without a third party in the mix. Besides, Seth’s co-worker was a happily mated omega at that. “Yeah, that…that’s a good idea, Seth.” His beta beamed proudly in response.

___________________________

Dean had woken in the wee hours, having passed out on one of the little bench things they had next to the pool, his bookbag firmly laying on his chest, but the rumbling of voices that echoed through the gym halls had roused him.

He quickly gripped his bag tight before slinging it over his shoulders. His stomach grumbled obnoxiously as he sat up. The omega was fortunate to have had a coffee and a protein bar last night thanks to the fiver the strange, handsome and very clearly mated alpha had given him. Dean snuck out of the background of the gym, greeted with the cool chill of a winter morning, but it wasn’t snowing nor nearly as cold as it was the night before. He could work with this.

The omega stood on the side of the rode with his thumb out, hoping to hitch ride. Based on the signs around him there was a bus that went out this goddamn far, but it didn’t matter. That fiver was all he had after giving the alpha all his change. Who cared, though, it probably wasn’t enough for a ticket anyways.

As car after car passed, Dean began to lose hope. “Goddammit…” He grunted as the tenth or so car drove up, beeping its horn at him as it splashed his jeans with snow muck. All he wanted to do was get into town to make a few bucks snowing driveways or something. Enough to get a hot meal, maybe a few essentials, and a ticket back to the gym.

In an ideal world, he’d be able to find a job in the next town, but he knew that wasn’t likely. It was always creeping down his neck, the fact he was broken, the fact his body was so out of whack he’d never had a proper heat, and the fact that due to his body being so out of whack he was prone to mood swings and in severe parts of the month, psychosis. It got so bad that one year it had lead him to a downward spiral, lead him to using drugs and to being imprisoned.

Fuck, even being stuck in an alpha prison didn’t fix his heat problems. All of the alphas treated him like another alpha or at best as a beta, saying his scent smelt off or wrong. It hurt, but he made some brothers and friends in there. The sentence was only six months, but it prevented him from getting a steady job. His mood swings didn’t help, made him erratic and irritable at best.

Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Dean didn’t even notice the car pulling over until the window was rolled down. The car was fancy looking, but newish…some type of eco-friendly European import, and the man had a shiny bald head and a fine tailored suit on. The man also had sunglasses on, which he peered over at Dean.

He smelled of money and mated alpha and it intimidated Dean until the male smiled. “Looking to catch a ride?” A thick, European accent that matched his car. “I’m just on my way to work, but if you are heading into town, I can take you.”

“That’d be awesome, man…thanks.” Dean slide into the car then with ease, the man turning the heat up slightly.

“I’m Antonio, by the way. And you are?”

“Dean.”

“Well it’s quite the pleasure to meet you, Dean.”

________________________

“Ugh…he’s sweet, whoever he is.” Jack’s nose wiggled for a moment before he handed the change back to Seth and readjusted his thick, black glasses frame. He slouched back down in front of his laptop to continue with some of the next month’s financial projections.

Jack was one of Seth’s right-hand men and CFO of ‘Legit Sneaks’, a company Seth had started a few years back that worked on developing fashionable and affordable, American made sneakers for athletes and fashionistas alike. He was the only omega in their small startup company, but you wouldn’t know it based on his 6’7, 300 lbs. frame. But there was a way in how he spoke, in how he carried himself, and the curves of his body that tipped off his secondary gender to those with a keen eye.

“’Ugh’…why ‘ugh’?” Seth asked with almost too much vigor, leaning over Jack’s computer to glare into his eyes.

“Well…I’m not attracted to omegas and he smells too sweet, but, uh…whoever he is he has he’s got something weird going on. Almost smells like a pre-teen, but clearly isn’t…sorta like he’s got hormone issues and probably hasn’t heated in a while, but doesn’t smell like he’s on suppressants or birth control, either. I’d take him to an omega specialist or something. Almost smells like how late bloomers did, y’know? I was one myself, but this is…really, really extremely late if not a disease or something.” Jack shrugged before going back to his work, clacking away.

That obviously concerned Seth to a great extent. This omega was clearly attracting both him and Roman and the beta didn’t want to know what that meant for their mating or bond or relationship, but if nothing else they had to do something for the omega. Seth didn’t even know the omega’s name, but as he called Roman from his office, his voice was firm.

“Hey, baby, how you doing?” The sound of chatter and jovial noises filtered through Seth’s phone. Roman owned a slick, modern bar/restaurant deal that he inherited from his father. It was a rather dying sorta thing when the alpha had gotten rights to it five years back and completely transformed it to a real hot spot.

“That omega, Ro, we…we really do gotta do something for him, y’know? Get him some food, maybe see if he’s okay…” It came off far more frantic than the beta had intended, but he couldn’t help it.

Roman’s voice grew quiet, the clattering and noises fading as the alpha moved away from the commotion. “What…what did Jack tell you?”

“He said basically that the omega probably has hormone problems. Not sure what, but that his heating must be outta funk. Maybe we could eventually get him to an omega clinic or something?”

Roman was taken aback, the thought of those big, blue eyes suffering settled a strange ache into the pit of his stomach. He stared back at his reflection as he sucked in a deep breath. “Seth, I…I dunno if that omega would be up to getting handouts. We could try and do somethin’ for him for sure, though.”

“I guess I’ll have to wait to meet him before I judge completely, but…I thought I’d keep you updated, Ro. I think this omega, whoever he might be, is something special. And we gotta keep an eye on him.” The alpha smiled then, wishing he could kiss his mate over the phone before the line beeped. “Shit, that’s a conference call. I’ll see you after work, hmm? Love ya.”

“Love you too, baby.” And with that, the alpha hung up.

___________________

“Well I just cannot thank you enough, sweetie.” The heavily pregnant beta woman grinned down at Dean as she arrived from the confines of her home. In one hand the woman had a large metal thermos and in the other she held a small white envelope. “Here’s some hot chocolate and you keep the thermos now and in the envelope is a little money for your troubles.”

Dean finished shoveling off the front of her sidewalk a few seconds earlier, placing the shovel on her porch. “O-Oh, thank you, ma’am…all this for me?” He grinned, but was appreciative as he took the thermos from her, the hot chocolate warming through his throat.

She simply smiled and thanked him once more, before telling him to hurry on back before he was missed. Which was rather strange, because he had no home to go to, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her that as he continued trailing down the sidewalk, eyes bulging as he starred at the $50 she had given him. It had to be some type of mistake, right? No way was this...

But as Dean rummaged in the envelope more he found a small handwritten note that stated: ‘You may be down on your luck now, but you won’t be forever. Take the generosity of others and when the time comes, pay it forward.’ – Signed, Rosa.

The omega felt his heart skip a beat at that, the note so sweet and honest and a stranger so goddamn generous…who could have imagined that? He trotted off to the nearest dollar store he could find, beginning to rummage around for basic essentials.

Soap, deodorant, some other odds and ends, and he even found a bag of chips and some knock-off protein bars. They were high in fat and carbs and other vitamins and Dean figured it would be better than wasting it on more junkfood and candy.

He managed to make it out with $35 still in hand, sliding his spoilers into his bookbag as he trailed out. It wasn’t too late, but the sun was beginning to set and Dean huddled into his clothes tighter, feet trailing across the snow. The omega certainly had enough money left over to get something hot to eat and afford a ticket back to the gym.

But as he wandered around the unfamiliar city, he found himself rather lost. Just as he thought he had found the way he was trying to go, heading towards a sign that read ‘bus stop’, someone yanked him from behind.

The strong scent of a four or more unmated alphas invaded his senses as he fumbled, his bookbag being grabbed from his shoulders.

“Well what do we have here, huh?” One of them croaked and before Dean could even make out one of their faces in the darkness, he started swinging.

“Give me my bag back, you fucking scumbag!” He clocked the one alpha, their scents switching from intimidating to alarmed and angry as they grabbed at Dean, beginning to pummel his face and chest and arms.

Dean was a fighter, always had been, but his stomach was full of nothing but hot chocolate and a protein bar from the night before and there five goddamn alphas beating him around. He was sick, his body aching and he felt to his knees too easily, being pushed and shoved as the gang ran off with his bag, two of them slinking in his pockets as his head throbbed and his nose began to bleed, stealing what little money he had.

He was left there for a moment, cold and shivering and bleeding. He wasn’t dying, no, but a part of him wish he was. Wish it would just end. But that part wasn’t strong enough as Dean shakily stood up, staring down at the snowy alleyway. As his vision struggled to focus through the throbbing of his head, Dean could make out the note from Rosa.

“What a load of fucking bullshit.” He spit blood onto the ground, before beginning to limp in the direction he believed lead to gym, wiping the blood from his lips and onto his shirt sleeve.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth finally meets Dean and both men become more smitten.

Tyler really was the luckiest omega alive. Not only was he graced with gorgeous looks, impeccable fashion, and superior intellect. No, it wasn’t enough. He was also graced with the loveliest beta partner anyone could ask for.

Johnny was his name, but Tyler preferred to call his mate ‘Fandango’, the nickname a result of his luxurious dance moves and loose hips that drew the omega wild. People often made comments about how he could possibly be satisfied by a beta, especially during his heats, but as Tyler slide out of the gym at 3 in the morning to greet his mate who went out of his way to find a 24 hour Starbucks to deliver him a caramel frap, there was no question. He kissed his mate in thanks, enjoying the little time they had.

Well, they could have a little bit more time, right? Maybe…a quickie in the backseat of Fandango’s car? Tyler wouldn’t be missed too much he imagined, that cute beta/alpha couple were already in the gym anyways.

But unbeknownst to Tyler as Fandango began sashaying his way back into his career, the strange and very dirty omega from last night was limping his way back into the gym.

 ________________________________________

 

Dean was delirious at this point, seemingly only managing to stand upright with the power of his rage at the world. Even when he tried to be honest, to just do something basic to make sure he could fucking survive, the world made sure it went awry. The desire to end it all, it kept growing each day.

He stumbled into the open showers as opposed to the stall showers by accident, his body aching and stinging and muscles beginning to give out. He had been walking for well over an hour, feet sore and feeling frozen and the deep throbbing behind his eyes after that gang of alphas had beaten him had only grown.

There was still a coppery, blood taste on his lips, pretty sure he bit the inside of his cheek and his tongue was bleeding, and he was hungry…so fucking hungry that it hurt to even breathe.  Still fully clothed Dean managed to turn the cold water on, hoping the freezing temperatures would bring him back to some level of lucidity, but the cool jets did nothing to stop him as he began to crumble down. Soon, the omega completely passed out under the freezing water.

 ________________________________________

“Should…should we go looking for him, ya think?” Seth said it almost too eagerly, mid-handstand walking as Roman alternated between two 50 lbs. dumbbells.

“I thought maybe he’d be by the stalled showered, that’s where I first smelled him, but…nothing there. Checked the vending machines, too, but still nothing.” His voice thinly laced with exhaustion, but was more heavily weighted towards being distraught. The alpha paused then, dropping the weights before sitting down across from where Seth was finishing his little handstand race. “We…we should check again, baby…maybe see if he came in? Or if he’s maybe somewhere else…”

Seth flipped back onto his feet with ease, nodding in assent as he looked down at his digital watch. “Yeah, definitely…how about we split up? This place is pretty huge, Ro, and if one of us finds him, then we’ll call the other?”

“You don’t even know what he looks like, though.” Roman commented as they made their way out of the weight room, spilling into the nearest hallway.

“No, I don’t, but you told me what he looked like. And, well…” Seth blushed a little then, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. Neither had acknowledged the mutual attraction and he wasn’t willing to broach it then, either. “…can’t really forget a scent like that, y’know?”

The alpha nodded then, giving his beta a small peck on the lips before heading in the direction of the pool and sauna area. Seth decided then to take the opposite end and swoop by the stalled showers and vending machines again.

As the beta slowly crept through the gym, eyes sliding around the hallways and rooms as carefully as possible, he found his heart hammering in his chest. He was so eager to meet this omega that Roman spoke so highly of. His voice supposedly was like sweet gravel, his eyes ocean blue, his skin soft and pale looking, and his hair brown with just a tinge of orange. It all sounded rather romantic and cheesy, but just a hint of the omega’s diluted smell from the coins was enough to make Seth’s head spin, then maybe what his alpha was saying was true.

Just as he passed up the entrance to the open shower, the beta is greeted by that familiar scent, but it’s only a light whiff. His heart jumped into the middle of his throat as said sweet scent is quickly covered by layers of blood and some type of alarmed, pain scent.

He quickly dialed his mate, rushing through the entrance way. “R-Ro, please, bring some of the large towels and the first aid kit from Tyler at the front desk! I think…I think something is wrong.” He hung up before Roman could respond fully, phone dropping silently to the floor and echoing along with the roaring water.

Roman really undersold the beauty of this omega, Seth faintly thinks in the recesses of his mind. But in the forefront he’s running on panic mode as he trips towards the unconscious form. Pale and bitten with a split lip and a black eye, and a slight pink hue to some of the divots of water running down the omega’s exposed flesh hinting to more potential injuries.

But he was gorgeous, his scent pained but sweet and Seth came in close, shutting the water off and breathing a deep sigh of relief as he saw the man’s form slowly moving up and down, hinting towards steady breathing. His clothes were filthy, a mixture of grime and blood and holes and tears all over that hinted towards a long, lonely use of them and some type of assault. The beta was relieved that he hadn’t scented any foreign sperm or such markings of another invading the omega in that type of manner.

Someone moving so close, however, and the abrupt stopping of the chilling flow must have aroused the stranger because he was beginning to shift in his slip, blue eyes slowly cranking open. Just as he started to focus, to scent the beta so close to him who was trying his hardest to release reassuring, comforting scents, Roman’s voice boomed through the showers.

“S-Seth, shit, baby, I got the stuff you asked for-!” Roman was out of breathe, but most of all he was large and very alpha and very loud and it alerted the blue-eyed stranger, the slender male sliding back and farther against the wall, breath coming out pained and frightened.

“Sssh, Ro!” Seth put up a hand to motion for him to walk closer slowly. The alpha was stunned silent by Seth’s words, but even more so the poor state of the man before them. It made something boil deep down inside him, that someone could but their hands on someone with such a soft, innocent face, and such a sweet, heady scent. “Hey, hey, beautiful, you okay?” It’s a hushed tone from Seth, realizing then that he and Roman didn’t even know the name of the omega they had been mutually fawning over. “I, uh, I’m Seth…and this is Roman.”

The omega looked lost, confused, and hurt for a few moments, his mind stilly clearly in a daze before he began to shakily stand up on unsteady legs. Dean must have been hit harder in the had then he thought, because of the scent of these two men seemed to be anchoring him, calming him as they both came to his sides, trying to help him rise up. “I-I’m fine!” He rasped out, trying to pull away from them before slipping a little.

“Hey, man, you…you’ve been roughed up a little, okay? Just…I brought a first aid kit. Why don’t you let us at least patch you up a little?” Roman was antsy, wanted to get his hands on the omega to try and smooth and pat him down, do something to relax him.

“I have a change of clothes, too, if you’d like…get you out of this wet stuff? I think there’s a dryer somewhere in the gym’s basement. We can ask Tyler at the front desk to use it?” Seth tried his best to remain calm, but there was a bit panic lacing into his voice as the omega tried to wave them off.

“Fuck off!” He spat out suddenly, beginning to move away from the duo quickly, much to their disappointment. Dean pushed between them, uneasy on his feet as he could feel the headache returning, much worse this time, and his ribs hurt so much. And this was all on top of the tingling he could feel in the back of his throat and the stuffiness of his nose. He was undoubtedly coming down with an awful cold, maybe even the flu. Just as he made his way to the doorway of the showers, the forlorn gazes of the mated men burning into the back of his head, he collapsed in exhaustion.

Roman rushed over, asking Seth to get a change of clothes as he managed to lift the omega, despite his protests. “Hey, look, I don’t know what the fuck happened to you tonight and I ain’t gonna pry, but you’re a fucking mess…let…just let us help you, okay?”

For whatever reason in his delirious mind, as Dean stared up at the mated couple, Seth looking down at him nervously before he rushed out to presumably grab something, Rosa’s little note circled on a strange loop. “O-okay…” He rasped out, head lulling slightly as Roman slowly moved him back into the showers, seating him on the counter in front of several mirrors.

God, the omega was so light in his grasp, even lighter than Seth. It alarmed him a little, because he appeared almost fragile despite the fact he was basically kicking and screaming to NOT get help from them. “Here, lemme see…” Roman tilted his jaw up, the cut on his bottom lip looking nasty and perhaps split back open when the omega started to yell. “…this might sting a little, beautiful.” The soft was just on that side of soft, naturally so like most omega’s body hair was.

There was that nickname again, the same thing the beta and called Dean and he clenched his fists tightly at his side, wanting to look away. If life taught him anything, it was that he was far from beautiful, far from desirable. “Name’s Dean…” He grumbled as Roman rubbed an alcohol swap against his wound. “…jus’ call me that.”

“Dean, huh?” The beta’s voice echoed through the room as he returned with what looked like to be a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. “..uh, these are my size, but I think they might be able to fit you? I mean…at least for now.”

Dean slide off the counter with no complaint, much to both men’s pleasure, but he still grumbled as be snatched the clothes from Seth, yanking his own leather jacket, followed by a t-shirt, and had gotten down to a dingy, ancient-looking tank top before Seth spun backwards, realizing the omega had every intention of changing right this moment. “Ro, don’t stare…” He hissed between his teeth, the alpha spinning around backwards just before Dean yanked his pants off.

“Jesus…h-he really is…”

“Yeah.” Seth replied in a tone as breathless and quiet as Roman’s.

“Done.” The auburn haired male gruffed out, before sliding himself back onto the counter. Roman finished up with the face wounds then, cleaning at a small cut on his eyebrow before handing him an ice pack for his eye.

“That should help with some of the swelling.” The beta said quietly, before passing Dean’s clothes off to Roman to bring to Tyler to use the dryer for. He then used the towel Roman had brought to pat down Dean’s hair, finding the hair to have an even more warm hue to it as he dried off and curled. Those piercing, almost wild blue eyes were full of distrust, his soft lips tight in apprehension but Seth simply smiled.

“Why are you two doing this for me, huh? What do ya want out of it?” It was tight lipped and said carefully, as if the omega was almost fearful.

“N-Nothing, honestly…we just…no one should suffer in pain like this is all.” Seth bit his bottom lip then, placing the now damp towel on the other edge of the counter. “Especially not you.” Especially not someone that smells so sweet to us both, someone that has turned our mating upside down in less than a goddamn day, went unsaid.

“W-Wha…what is that supposed to mean?” But as Seth opened his mouth to reply, Roman had rejoined them.

“Your stuff is going through the washer, then the dryer, huh…why don’t we get out of the bathroom, huh?” Dean hopped off the counter then, swaggering off on uneasy feet. Roman was tempted to reach out, to try and assist him but that little glare told him to back off.

The duo followed behind Dean, surprised to find him leading them into the pool room but didn’t question it as he relaxed against one of the cushioned pool benches. Roman opted to sit on the floor while Seth sat on one of the other pool benches next to him.

“Ya don’t have to keep followin’ me.” The omega sounded more defeated and exhausted than anything, but both men simply gave him a sympathetic look.

“No, guess not…” The alpha began, before Dean’s stomach let out a very audible grumble. “…hungry?” The larger male said, his voice dipping low and firm, protective, even. He seemed embarrassed then, those wild and strong eyes darting away quickly as he folded in on himself and pulling his knees close to his chest.

“D-Dean, look, it’s okay. There’s some food around here, yeah? Why don’t I get you something to eat, okay?” The beta said quietly, before sliding out of the pool room, leaving Roman staring at that sweet, shivering form with his own soft gaze.


	4. Chapter 4

The omega scarfed down the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days and it dawns on Roman that that could well enough be the reality. The gym’s food selection was limited at night to just the vending machine, but Dean didn’t seem to care as Seth handed him over a few protein bars, some fruit cups, and a weird sandwich thing. He ate it all, almost choking on some of it when Seth quickly offered him an energy drink and Roman gently patted on his back.

“H-Hey, go easy, okay?” Seth said softly, his own nerves calming as he and Roman exchange glances over the omega’s head. Dean was still trembling, still cold and nervous but it felt right for both men to take care of him.

The beta wouldn’t say it aloud, especially not for fear of making Roman feel bad, but…having Dean’s presence here between them…it felt right, complete. Little did he know at the time, Roman felt the same way. That’s probably why the alpha leaned in close and just had to ask this man a very bold series of questions. “Dean…do you have a home?”

“The world is my home, man.” Followed by a bitter, humorless chuckle before the omega rolls his eyes and meets Roman’s gaze with a steely stare. “You think I’d be livin’ outta a gym if I had a home?”

Seth jumped in then, moving closer to Dean as the water from the pool rippled slowly. After his several years of dating Roman, he knew a thing or two about his alpha, to the point where he could damn near read his mind and he knew he was right on the nose with what Roman was thinking when he spoke. “I-It’s the dead of winter…it’s only going to get worse. W-What if…”

“What if you stayed with us?” It’s a bold move, especially toward a strange omega but the compatibility, the scent…it’s so perfect for Seth and Roman and they’d feel empty without it now. But Roman had to say it, had to get out there and for a moment it’s deathly silent.

Dean stood up slowly, face blank before he throws the rest of the food Seth and Roman had given him into the pool. “FUCK OFF!” It’s loud and echoed throughout the entire room, sad shock on the couple’s faces as he began to yank Seth’s clothes off. “I don’t need your fuckin’ charity. I don’t need your goddamn PITY!”

“It’s not pity!” Roman howled then, the omega retreating quickly and covering his ears before Seth steps in, pushing his hand soothingly against the middle of Roman’s chest. He was usually so calm and cool, Seth the fierier of them, but something about being around this omega must be waking the alpha up in him. And the beta would talk with him about it later, because he would be damned if Roman would keep up this kind of angry and hotheadedness.

“I didn’t ask for your fucking help!” The auburn haired male shouted then, his voice cracking in a high, shrill-y rasp that caused an aching to form in Seth’s stomach.

“You can’t come in here bruised and half frozen and expect us to leave you be! Are you fucking insane? I’ve never met an omega as ridiculous as you!” Roman has clearly lost it a bit and Seth can tell from the expression on those blue eyes that he’s hit a nerve, the gaze turning almost dead before the omega stomped off in nothing but his underwear to another room, completely silent. “D-Dean, wait!”

Just then, Seth’s phone went off, the alarm telling them their workout session was over and the alpha grabbed at his mate, shaking his head. “No, Ro, just…j-just leave him be. We have to go home.”

Roman’s expression was full of guilt and anxiety as Seth drove them back home that night. To their home. Their home that felt kinda wrong despite it providing respite and space for their bond.

“I’m sleeping on the couch, tonight, Ro.” Seth didn’t mean for his voice to sound so cold, he still loved his alpha, but it was hard to look at him the same way.

“What? Why?” He was hurt, silver eyes weak and mere moments from tears.

“I…the way you acted tonight with Dean, it…it was too much, baby. Just, get some rest, okay?” Seth left no room for argument, so the alpha didn’t try and counter him as the beta kissed him on the forehead. The room felt empty and cold without him. The bed was like an ice box, the cruel words he spat at such a beautiful creature playing on loop. What was wrong with him? He was so outraged, the fear of being denied assisting someone so badly, someone who made him feel complete in a way he didn’t know possible. It was too much. And now Seth was paying the price.

__________________________________________________________________

Morning came around and Seth made breakfast despite it not being his turn. He felt a little guilty about leaving the alpha to sleep alone and in all honesty he felt a little left out and alone himself, but he couldn’t help it. They hadn’t slept separately in years, the last time being when Seth had to travel a few states over to talk to some potential investors for ‘Legit Sneaks’. “Make sure you eat enough, okay?” He said it softly to his positively gray looking mate.

It was an uncomfortable silence as they ate the oatmeal the beta had prepared for them. It was so wrong, so tense, but as Seth’s phone beeped, signaling he needed to head out soon to make it to work on time, the small kiss he left his alpha on the head released an immense amount of tension.

Sasha, Seth’s awesome beta intern, greeted him with a non-fat mocha latte as he slipped into the door. It was his second hit of coffee within an hour period, but god did he need it after the night they had.

“You doin’ okay, boss?” She asked with a concern glint in her eye as she began laying down some sample patterns she was tasked with working on for the February collection they were going to roll out this last January. Detailed, intricate patterns that signaled fresh and stylish without being too messy. She was going places, and Seth had every intention of hiring her full time come graduation in May.

“Yeah, Sasha, I’m alright, just…rough night, y’know?” It’s a small, weak chuckle but the female beta asked nothing else as she pulled a chair up to his desk to go over some altercations to the designs. “I like this, I really do, but I think the cyan is a little harsh on the eyes. Maybe more of an aquamarine tone?”

“Oh, you’re right, that would be lit!” Sasha clapped her hands excitedly, a wide small bursting over her face. Seth was revealed for the enthusiasm. Being surrounded by employees like her and Jack among the others…it made it easy for him to forget about the train wreck last night.

Meanwhile, Roman was experiencing the complete opposite. “Jesus, big dog, you doin’ alright?” Enzo, the alpha day time host and night time bartender for Reigns’s restaurant exclaimed as he filtered into the kitchen.

This was the third plate the alpha had broken and Cass, Enzo’s beta mate, had had enough, scooting the owner out. “We’re gonna be outta dishes before the lunch rush if you keep coming back here, boss.”

“He’s kinda right, y’know.” Enzo commented as Roman huffed and puffed his chest out, avoiding stepping into the main eating room but instead grumbled off into his office. “Eh, listen, big dog, we ain’t sayin’ this stuff to pick on ya…”

Roman glared up at the other alpha, his hands tensing as he sat down at his office desk. Enzo glared back just as hard, wide blue eyes unwavering.

“Ya scent’s goin’ all whackadoo, all goddamn day and you’re snappin’ at folks for no reason. What’s bitin’ ya, huh?” Enzo flipped the chair in front of Roman’s desk backwards, sitting down on it tightly.

“I just…there’s this omega…”

“Oh, big man…don’t tell me ya messin’ around on Seth now…”

“W-What? No, no! Seth…Seth likes him, too…”

“Uh-huh…” Enzo gave him a suspicious gaze at first, but nodded in understanding when the older alpha growled a little. “So then what’s uh…the problem?

“He just…I pissed this omega off, really bad. Don’t get what the hell the problem was, though.” Roman sighed then, rubbing at his tired eyelids. “To put a long story short, dude’s pretty much homeless. Seth and I offered him a place to stay and he flipped his lid. Got even madder when I called him out on it.”

Enzo nodded as he processed the information, letting out a dramatic huff from his nostrils. “Well, uh…da hell was he goin’ on about, huh? I mean if ya guys are all compatible, then what’s his problem?”

“Rambled on and on about not wanting charity or something. I don’t get it…wouldn’t he want to be taken care of? Don’t omegas like that kind of thing?” Roman felt a little embarrassed now, because he was kind of ignorant on this manner, which obviously made the situation worse.

“Dunno…woulda thunk that…”

“Good god, you knotheads livin’ in the 18th Century or somethin’?” Cass slammed the office door open, apron still securely wrapped around him as he loomed over the alphas. “It’s simple, this omega don’t want handouts. Homeless or not, omega or not, he’s clearly got a lotta pride. So don’t give him a handout. Give him real help or support or somethin’…but don’t patronize him, don’t nobody like that shit.”

Both alphas gawked for a moment before Cass shrugged and Enzo grinned. “Damn, babe…love it when ya get all smart on me.” Enzo leaned up for a kiss and was given a quick smooch on his freckled nose.

“Now both of ya lazybones get back to work!” The beta called as he slid back into the kitchen.

The rest of Roman’s shift went by rather smoothly. His mood increased even greater when Seth arrived during his lunch break to share a meal with Roman. They had both been so busy with the coming holiday season that it was difficult for them to share a meal during the workday together besides breakfast, but here they were, chatting away over Seth’s paleo salad and Roman’s hamburger.

“I’m sorry about last night, baby…” Seth nodded between bites of his salad, giving Roman’s hand a small squeeze.

“I-I know…and I should have intervened sooner…”

“Nah, I needed to keep myself in check. I was…way outta line. I might have ruined any chance we had in helping that omega.” Roman stopped eating, looking down guiltily.

“Don’t say that, okay…I-I just…we both could have handled the situation better.” He took a sip of his lemonade, voice growling quieter as some more patrons walked in. “The best we can hope for is he’ll be there again tonight and reason with him.”

“Oh, Seth, no way will he forgive me…”

“Ro, please…he was scenting you like crazy, okay? We just…take it slow. Jack did say he was sick, who knows what health problems he has or what life he’s lived thus far. We have to gain his thrust and not be so eager. Just…nice and slow, okay? Supportive instead of aggressive.”

“Okay.” After a few more minutes of light chatter and eating, Seth’s lunch break had come to an end and he stole a warm, open-mouthed kiss from his mate before making his way out to the freezing afternoon.

__________________________________________________________________

Luck seemed to be gearing towards the couple as they were informed, rolling into the gym that night that Dean was indeed there. Unfortunately the message was delivered by the red-faced omega Tyler, with his hands firmly on his hips.

“Keep your goddamn pet in check, boys.” His blonde hair flailing every which way as he rolled his eyes and head dramatically.

“He’s not our pet, Tyler, and you better watch your goddamn mouth.” Roman was taken aback by Seth’s own boldness, to the point where he laid a gentle, supportive hand on his mate’s lower back.

“You better watch him! They nearly docked my pay for the extra cleaning to the pool! And I know it had to do with…with HIM!” Tyler huffed then, stomping back behind his front desk to toy with his phone, ignoring the two completely and utterly.

And that suited the mated couple just fine, because they had a much more pressing matter to attend to. Rushing off to the pool area quickly, Roman was relieved to see Dean sitting at one of the benches and the smell of warm soup wafted through his nostrils. So, the omega had at least gotten his hands on some type of money.

It smelt familiar, perhaps from the little late night diner about 30 minutes down the road. As soon as he stepped closer through, the omega jumped in his seat, turning around to glare. “Don’t.” He said quickly, before continuing to eat his soup.

The dismissiveness really got to Roman more than being yelled at. He hated to be ignored and hated seeing this omega so hurt. Seth was bolder this time around, taking the seat across from Dean and sitting down. There was uncomfortable, awkward tension, but Seth cleared his throat and began speaking slowly.

“Look, Dean, I…I wanted to apologize. We wanted to apologize, actually.” He looked unimpressed as he sipped on his soup and looked even less interested as Roman quickly stumbled over numerous apologies. “We were way, way outta line and just…we’d like to try and still…”

“If you say help, so help me God…” The omega grumbled, looking up through his long lashes with a somewhat predatory gaze.

“Not help, uh…” Roman intervened as he sat down next to Seth, gaze firm. “…support.”

The omega snorted, running his tongue through the bottom half of his mouth before sucking on his teeth. “I don’t wanna anymore of your damn support. Don’t want a handout, don’t want you bothering me and pitying me cuz I’m a freak.” The stinging hurt that seemed to radiate from Dean’s voice sparked a sad curiosity in both Roman and Seth. Sure, Dean was homeless…but a freak? What?

Neither man would dare broach what that omega meant by that, but Roman persists, his voice growing soft and rumbling as he speaks. It’s such a contrast to the previous night that Dean’s taken aback, finally giving them full attention. “I know you don’t want us handholding you…hell, you don’t even know us that well. But, look…I recently had a waitress put her two weeks in because she’s moving to Bulgaria with her husband.”

Seth’s eyes widen because he knows Roman is telling the truth, but the implications of what he might be suggesting would be huge. And the beta wasn’t sure if he was ready for such implications, but didn’t intervene because dammit, for someone that instantly drew them to him…it was worth a little risk.

“And you’re telling me all this because?” Dean sounded lost, a little quiet.

“I want you to work for me as a waiter. No handouts, not special treatment. You earn your pay and tips like everyone else.” Roman said it matter-of-factly, but the bopping of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed gave his nerves away.

“With no pressure to do anything involving us or coming home with us.” Seth added quickly, snaking his hand to cross with Roman’s as he felt the alpha nearly vibrating with nervous energy.

“S-Serious?” Dean gaped a little, his blue eyes seemingly sparkling as he clenched tightly onto the Styrofoam bowl that held the last bits of chicken stock. “I…you’d give me a job? You know I have priors, right?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance, right?” Roman didn’t miss a beat and Seth nodded in agreement because the expression on Dean’s face, the appreciation there for just being given a chance. There was no way he was malicious by nature.

“I-I…I’ll take the waiting job, yeah.” It’s choked out and quiet, but it means the world to all three men and was the start of something special and new.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean starts his new job.

“What size t-shirt do you wear?” Roman asked as he brought Dean into the restaurant Saturday morning, far before the sun would rise. He had picked up the omega from the gym after he and Seth had shared breakfast and was more than a little giddy that the auburn haired male, was, indeed dedicated to taking the job.

“Medium, I think…” He said quietly, eyes widening as he took in the restaurant. It reminded him vaguely of an old-fashioned diner and sport’s bar mix, but there was a door that seemed to a much classier, sleeker portion of it. “…where does that go?”

“Oh, that door?” Roman asked as he motioned for Dean to follow him through the back. “It’s kinda the nightclub area. You won’t be working there, at least not for a while. And not at all, if you don’t want to.”

Dean nodded in understanding before letting out a small hum as Roman brought him to the back office area. The alpha rummaged through a few boxes before he pulled out a short sleeve black shirt with the restaurant’s logo on it, then a long sleeve shirt, and then a hoodie all with the logo on it that vaguely reminded Dean of a spider. They were about Dean’s size, give or take. “Do you give all your employees new clothes, huh?” He sounded a pit peeved but Roman didn’t take it personally.

“Yeah, the waiters and waitresses get them when they first start out, which you are.” Roman slid into the seat behind his desk, rummaging around as he brought some paperwork out. “Let’s get all the tax forms and shit outta the way. Cass will be coming in to cook and Bo, our head waiter, can help you get used to the environment and how we run things.”

“W-Wait, you want me to do paperwork?” Dean stood looking rather nervous and wide-eyed at Roman. “Y-You’re…you’re not just gonna pay me under the table?”

“What? Nah, Dean, you’re an employee of mine. We do things right and fair around here.” He didn’t miss the way the omega’s eyes looked a little glassy with unshed tears or how his hands shook as he filled out his information. It became apparent to him just how true Cass’s words were. All this omega wanted was a fair chance.

Once Dean completed the paperwork, Roman hears the telltale sign of Cass and Enzo stumbling into the back door, their voices loud and animated as Roman files the forms away. “That’s Enzo and Cass now. They….they’re a bit intense but they’re awesome guys. Enzo is our host, bartender, and occasional chief. Cass is our head chef.”

Dean nodded in understanding, shrugging off his jacket and hoodie to slide on one of the uniform shirts Roman had given him. Damn, the omega looked so right when he dawned Roman’s emblem, but he tried to push those invasive thoughts out as quickly as they had wormed their way in.

“Yo, boss!” Enzo yelled, distractedly staring into the hallway as Cass took both their winter jackets to hang up. “I’m tellin’ ya we gotta add white hot chocolate tuh the menu…well hello dere!” The Jersey man stared down at what he quickly concluded was an omega through swift scenting. Although there was something a tad off, he didn’t make a comment. He simply stared for a moment longer, wide blue eyes meeting a pair of droopy, confused ones before he connected the dots. So THIS was the omega Roman was going on about. Well, if Roman and Seth cared about him, Enzo did. “Name’s Enzo…the big lug in the kitchen is Cass. Nice ta meet yeah.”

“Name’s Dean.” He replied, looking down rather shyly as he stared at the uniform shirt. This alpha was bizarre to him to say the least. Enzo was short, shorter than himself and a lot of betas he had met, but he seemed to scream ‘loud’ from his bizarrely bleached hair and leopard print everything. But he decided then that he would try his best to get along with as many co-workers as possible.

Roman smiled big and wide at Enzo as he gave the fellow alpha a pat over the shoulder. “He’s gonna be a waiter. We’re short staffed since Lana is leaving, so…” He shrugged wordlessly then and Enzo nodded and quickly accepted the explanation. “Anyways, what was that about white hot chocolate?”

“Yeah, man, Cass and I were experimentin’ with a cuppa things, y’know? And we got a good thing goin’, want ya ta try and taste it, boss…” As the alphas continued to converse, they began to drift more towards the exit of the room.

“Dean, you can chill out in the back until Bo gets in and he can start showin’ you the ropes, alright?” His voice especially soft as he gazed back at the smaller male, enjoying how that mop of auburn curls fall forward at his slow nodding.

The omega decided to wander around as soon as the two men traveled to the front area of the restaurant, chattering away. He slipped into the kitchen, being greeted by a nearly 7 foot tall beta, much to his surprise. “J-Jesus Christ!”

“Nah, name’s Cass, heh.” The large male slide a glove off, taking Dean’s hand in his own and giving him a firm shake before putting the glove back on and continuing to prep what looked like some fancy type of marinade.

“Dean, I…I’m Dean, a new waiter.”

“Pleasure ta meet ya.” Dean could faintly smell the smaller alpha he just met on this beta, turning a little red faced as it became apparent to him that they were mates. “Good ta have ya on board. We’re a lil’ short-staffed with Lana leavin’ and all, but ya gonna do great, fo’ sure.”

“Thanks. I…I’ve never been a waiter, but I’ll try.” He smiled nervously, but felt himself relaxing as the beta gave him a reaffirming grin, then continued with his food preparation. Dean sat their idly, simply walking the man work who seemed to have no issue with it, but the small bit of serenity was interrupted when a chipper alpha with a soft-spoken voice tumbles into the back.

He already had his uniform on and handed Dean a basic black apron with pockets in the front and a nametag. “I’m Bo! And you must be Dean!” The male grinned, pointing to his nametag before motioning for Dean to follow him. “We’re going to start your training now, since we open in five minutes! It’s pretty simple, but still an extremely important to the success of this business! Write down the orders with a smile, read them back, and make sure to be courteous! Don’t be afraid to compliment the clientele, either! They want to feel at home and it’s our job as waiters to help create that environment!”

“O-Okay…” Dean’s own mouth began to hurt as he stared at Bo’s constantly grinning face. There was no way he could compete with that kind of enthusiasm. But he had to, had to try his hardest but his nerves were making his palms sweat and his heart to thud loudly in his ears. He wasn’t exactly a people person, but Roman took a chance on him. And that made the omega even more nervous.

“After we take orders, we bring them back to Cass on that little window right there.” Bo pointed to it with a grin, patting Dean on the side as the omega let out an exasperated sigh. “Hey now, don’t worry! You’ll do great! And Saturday mornings are really, really slow so I’ll shadow you, alright? Unless it gets busy, I’ll be by your side, alright?”

That made the omega a little less nervous, but a big part of him still wanted to punch Bo’s teeth down his throat for being such a chipper fucker. When the first customer arrived, Dean tried his best to work with them, but he was a little wooden and tense as he took their order. Bo kept giving him a thumbs up from the distance as he chatted with Cass through the window and Dean couldn’t roll his eyes hard enough.

“First day on the job, dear?” The older female customer said with a small smile. She was probably in her 70s and she seemed to be taking out her own daughter and granddaughter out for a nice breakfast. Dean nodded slowly as he scribbled down their orders, the older woman laying a hand on the inside of his elbow as he deep, brown eyes peered into his. It was as if she was reading him, something in her gaze reminding him of Rosa and it made his stomach feel even worse, exposed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.”

And he rushed off to get their orders into Cass and move onto the couple that came in a few moments later to get their drink orders. At least he had seemed to be getting the basics down moderately well, but the warm personality that Bo exerted without any effort was pretty much next to impossible for the omega.

The morning went by moderately well, Dean only having to reference the menu a few times and only needed to ask Bo one question, but as the lunch rush came in he was pretty much left to himself as Bo began working himself.

“The next waiter won’t be in for another hour, but with you and me working these tables, we’ll get through the rush in no time!” Dean hated the optimism, he really did, especially when he messed up two orders in a row, and when one couple left the table an absolute mess and left no tip, it took all his energies to not snap the plates in half as he lugged them into the kitchen where Enzo was scrubbing them.

As if that all wasn’t bad enough, just as another waitress came in almost half an hour early, Dean tripped and dropped an entire tray of full drinks on himself. The entire restaurant seemed to stop, the ice and broken shards of glass dripped down the omega’s face as he stared off into the distance. The waitress was a sweet omega girl with a side ponytail who looked nothing but sympathetic, but as she took a step forward Dean jetted up and out of the dining area, running out the back door and into the cold, brisk winter afternoon.

 

It was snowing when Seth pulled into the parking lot of his mate’s restaurant, but as soon as he stepped into the normally inviting and homey presence, something sat heavy on his stomach. Bayley, Bo, and Enzo were waiting a flurry of tables and he could tell the center area of the floor has been recently mopped, but more worryingly…where was Dean?

Seth made a b-line for the back office area, finding Roman to not be in his office so he opts to go to the kitchen where Cass is working overtime and quickly to get everything out. “C-Cass…where’s Roman?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…somethin’ happened with da new blood, boss went outside with ‘em.” And suddenly Seth’s own heart seemed to stop for a moment, because what the hell? Dean had finally agreed to let them to help in some manner and something just had to go wrong, didn’t it?

Seth rushed out into the back without giving it a thought, running down the employee parking lot to find Roman leaning over a crumpled mess of Dean in nothing but his work uniform. The alpha was clearly trying to offer his jacket, but Dean wouldn’t even remove his face from where they were buried into his knees.

“H-Hey, Ro…” Seth said softly before he crouched down, now level with Dean. “Dean…what’s the matter?” The beta said softly, but when he was met with no response he grew bold, laying a hand on top of one of Dean’s freezing own. The omega yanked it away quickly, staring at the two mates with wide eyes.

“I-I fucked up, okay? I-I messed up…jus’ like I always do.”

“Dean, accidents happen.” Roman supplied quickly and Seth quickly drew the conclusion that Dean must have had a few mishaps on his first day. But that was to be expected, after all.

“’S still my fuckin’ fault…still fucked up. I don’t belong here…ain’t my place.” The omega sniffled slightly and he wouldn’t dare look at either man now as he clenched tightly to his knees.

“Don’t say that, okay? Just, don’t!” The beta replied quickly, beginning to kneel in the snow as he moved in closer, not allowing this sweet omega to become lost in such dark and self-hating thoughts.

“Y-You’re gonna mess up your fancy suit…” Dean commented randomly, his voice an aching tremble and Seth shakes his head.

God, Dean’s distressed scent, it was driving both men wild, fighting the urge to protect and comfort and to not overstep their boundaries. “Who gives a shit about my stupid suit? You…you’re okay, okay? Right, Roman?”

“Yeah, right. And if you’re tryin’ to entertain the idea of getting fired, then I hate to break it to you, but you’re gonna be stuck workin’ for me a lot longer. It’s gonna take me than a few spilled drinks for me to get rid of someone as special as you.” That last sentiment Roman let slip and he regretted it at first, but when he catches the slight hitch of Dean’s breath, he realized it was just the right thing to say.

“You hear that? You’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” Seth said more softly now, standing back up as both men offered the omega a hand. He was pulled up slowly, muscles already stiff and achy from several minutes of being in the cold.

“We have a shower upstairs off the storage room, Dean, if you’d like to warm up and take a break, okay?” Roman said it reassuringly as he ushered the smaller male back in through the front door.

“Yeah, get nice and warm. It’s brutal out.” Seth patted his shoulder gently.

Dean swore his heart didn’t skip a beat, that their scents didn’t smell sweet and heady as he slowly made his way upstairs to shower some stress off.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean tried not to think too much about how kind and supportive Roman and Seth were being. They owed him absolutely nothing and in hindsight he’d been a dick to them when all they wanted to do was help him get on his own two feet. He couldn’t help it sometimes, though, his mood swings getting the better of him and it was much easier to be hostile than to trust someone. And he’d fucked the opportunity they gave him up. Well, Roman insisted it wasn’t a big deal, but he still couldn’t help but feel guilty.

The hot spray of the shower brings life back into his frozen limbs as the rubs his body down. There was a spare wash rag and body wash there, so he decides to clean himself down anyways despite the fact it was more to warm up than anything else. The steam pillowed out copiously as he slides underneath the spray, feeling returning to his limbs fully, skin turning from goosebumps to prunes well enough.

He could faintly smell Roman and Seth, flittered amongst numerous scents on the second floor of the restaurant. It was strange, because he really didn’t usually smell anyone. Certainly not enough to detect their scents, for them to widdle their way through his dulled senses. 

It probably wasn’t best to dwell on it, quickly beginning to dry himself off. He tugged on another pair of pants he managed to have and the work hoodie before trotting back downstairs. He’s quickly stopped from exiting through the double doors by the looming Cass. 

“Hey, uh, Deano. ‘s gotten pretty low out there. How’se about you help me a little bit in the kitchen? And don’t worry, you ain’t in trouble with the boss.” Surprisingly that quick, reassuring statement is actually, well, reassuring.

“Sure, don’t really know how to cook though or nothing.”

“Its fine, just need some help peeling potatoes.” Cass shows him the small area to the side with a massive bag of potatoes, a pot for them to be placed into, and several different-sized peelers before Dean settles on a medium lengthened one with a plastic grip. 

There’s an uncomfortable amount of silence as Dean starts on the simplistic task, his hands surprisingly nimble despite being near frozen a moment ago. He can’t help but feel self-conscious, knowing that Cass just had to have seen him make a fool of himself.

“Hey, don’t sweat it, dude, seriously.” Is this beta a mind reader? “Should’ve seen ‘Zo his first night. Ran right inta a server. Drinks and food EVERYWHERE!” He cackles pretty infectiously, Dean chuckling himself. He could totally picture that bleached head bobbing around frantically at a huge mess.

“You ain’t never gonna let that go, are ya, big man?” He hears called from behind the door, before the wide-eyed alpha shoves the door to the kitchen open, snow falling off his black and leopard jacket as he shimmies in a manner that reminds the omega of the Taco Bell dog. “Lucky I love ya, ya big lug.” Enzo places a couple of grocery bags on one of the numerous counters, leaning up to give Cass a small kiss.

Dean catches himself staring for a moment, the alpha raising high on his tiptoes as his beta mate leans down to return the kiss. He manages to catch himself, turning his head abruptly and peeling the potatoes with increased vigor, trying to burn the image of lips meeting out of his head. What…what must that feel like? He never had much of an interest before, but now…now he couldn’t help but wonder…what was it like to be mated? His body and mind was a muddled mess and anxiety rising slightly as he feels the short alpha move closer to him. Did they notice his wandering gaze? Would he give another reason for Roman and everyone else working here to dislike him?

“Yo, new blood, you want a cup of coffee or something? Don’t mark me as a tea drinkin’ kinda dude.” Oh. Okay. 

“S-Sure…that’d be awesome man, thanks.” Enzo pats him on the shoulder then, before trotting off to the coffee maker. Friendly, they were all so friendly. Dean just hoped it wouldn’t run out, that his mood wouldn’t shift unpredictably. That he wouldn’t fucking ruin this. 

 

+

 

“I just…I fucking can’t, Seth.” Roman says shakily, voice a quiet hush of a tone as he slides out of his gym clothes. The rest of Dean’s shift had went swimmingly, the omega even relaxing enough to be introduced to Bayley and help take orders again during the quieter hours of early evening. But the events earlier, how Dean had so easily broken down so quickly and how he refused a lift back to the gym. It’s all too much, Roman’s stubby nails having been bitten even lower with high anxiety.

“Well, you’re going to have to accept that this is what he wants. He probably feels nervous enough with it all being so new.” He tugs off his own shirt, laying a gentle hand over the alpha’s thumping heartbeat. "I know you want to help him as much as possible. Fuck, Romie, I do, too…but we don’t want to scare him off again, right?”

“Right.” He replied, almost defeated. Seth simply smiled in reply, giving his mate a soft, open-mouthed kiss. “Mmm, my sweet beta boy.”

Seth preened, leaning forward and giving him another kiss. “You do know it’s been a few days…and today was sooo stressful…” It’s a dangerous coo that cause a lustful rumbling to erupt from Roman, grabbing Seth’s wrists and pinning him against the side nearest tiled wall. “…there’s my alpha…”

“This what you want, baby?” Roman asks, beginning to kiss down the long column of Seth’s throat, sucking a mark here and there as the smaller male runs fingers through his inky, long locks. “Here, in the gym’s showers?”

Seth paused for a moment, before grinning. “Fuck yeah. No one is here. Besides, you know what I want…” He’s already so hard, practically humping Roman’s hand the moment the alpha grips his cock. “…you know how to make me feel so good.”

Now it’s Roman’s turn to preen, the alpha slipping lower down to tug down Seth’s shorts and boxers, long tongue beginning to creep out before he lavishes his length. 

There’s visibly 0% chance of them being caught, Dean never coming to the gym this early and Tyler off at the receptionist’s desk probably texting his mate. It’s thrilling nonetheless, because they rarely mess around in public. 

Their limbs are already tangled by the time they manage to stumble into the shower, drunk on each other’s scents, heavy and heady from their workout. Roman was especially daring, sliding down onto his knees almost too easily for an alpha as he continues to take Seth’s length hungrily between his lips. 

 

+

 

Seems that the shitty mishaps earlier at work have paid off in the universe, with minimal evening snow fall and the bus being on time for once. Dean trotted up to the gym, bypassing Tyler at the receptionist’s desk with a Styrofoam container of leftover goodies from work. He felt guilty about taking it at first, but Enzo told him it was normal and all the employees did it. Things like rolls, soon to expire canned goods, and more were cooked up by Cass and shipped off to local shelters or charity functions and extra employees can take ‘home’.

Home is this gym, now, Dean supposes. And it has a microwave near the vending machines. He popped the leftovers and sets them to heat up for a few minutes before sliding off his coat and toeing off his boots with holes in them. Damn if his feet weren’t frozen and damp as hell. And his hands and face were pretty damn chilly, too. “Warm water…hmm…” Dean figured if it worked earlier with his whole body, a quick hand wash and splashing his face in the bathroom couldn’t hurt.

The small walk to the showers leads Dean to reflect on the day. The accident with the drinks, peeling potatoes while Cass and Enzo sent him to laughing hysterics, watching two mates kiss, Bo managing to carry out five tables’ orders at once, and having a small conversation with that Bayley girl who’s working herself through college.

And, of course, Roman and Seth. Their scents. Their genuine concern and sympathy. Dean could feel his heart racing just thinking more about them. He hated the fact he felt almost dependent on them already, but he’d pay them back. He’d get back on his feet and owe them and do right by them. 

Having been isolated for so long, though, all these new people in his life made it kind of overwhelming. He felt emotionally and mentally drained, ready to heat himself up a bit, eat some good food, and settle in for a nap before the sun rose.

A low, long moan echoed through the hall just outside the bathroom and Dean frozen. Then another followed, and another. And Dean…fuck, there was an essence there, something that made his stomach flip flop slightly. He took a few steps inside, just barely into the bathroom before his entire mood and the feeling of the room changed.

“Fuck, alpha, so good…” Curled out from the shower, tendrils of the lustful words creeping their way up Dean’s spine from that familiar voice. Seth, the slight overtones of his scent that he managed to detect earlier filtering in. Roman’s followed.

Oh.

Oh god.

“Want more, huh?” Roman grunted out next and Dean clutched tightly to his stomach, the muscles spasmed in a manner foreign to him. Not from hunger or sickness, no, but from a weird combination of anxiety and fear.

They were mating. Right here in the shower, nothing but a shower curtain and a few feet separating them from Dean. 

Dean held onto his stomach tighter, the feeling building up higher and higher and suddenly he doesn’t feel nearly as cold as he did prior. His cheeks are flushing, heart hammering a mile a minute as he stumbles back out of the bathroom. 

He didn’t think of how warm he felt, he didn’t think of the fact he wanted to yank the curtain open and watch. He didn’t think about that nearly intoxicating aroma blaring through his nose, causing his mouth to salivate ever so slightly.

He did manage to find a garbage can halfway across the gym, far from the bathroom, and heaves into it as the stomach spasms refuse to dissipate. 

Suddenly those leftovers didn’t seem so appetizing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of Dean's second shift at Roman's restaurant.

Dean shuffled into his shift the next morning with a bit of a headache, thinking nothing of taking the cup of coffee Enzo offers him as he slides on his waist apron.

“Rough night, new blood?” The alpha asked, sipping at his own cup of coffee as Cass fires up the oven in the back, beginning to prep some food. 

“’S nothin’.” He muttered, stomach grumbling before Cass pushes out a plate of eggs. “I…I can’t take this.”

“Eat.” Cass’s voice was direct, no nonsense and Dean’s face pleads with Enzo for a moment, but is only met with a shrug of shoulders and a ‘eat the goddamn eggs’ demeanor. 

He does just that, munching away at the freshly cooked food. Honestly, these co-workers of his were just too damn kind. He wondered if the kindness would still be there if it was one of his bad days. Or would they look at him the same way everyone does when he has one of his episodes? 

The omega quickly shook the thoughts out of his mind, however, resolving to finish up his meal quickly so that he could be aptly prepared for the breakfast rush that Bo consistently reminded him the day prior. 

He could do this. He would do this. He absolutely, positively couldn’t let the hiccups from yesterday stop him today. 

“Our breakfast special for today is the Fireman’s Brunch…” Dean managed to start off, a small smile ghosting over his lips as he went over an introduction with a small family of four and took their drink orders.

The first hour passed by much of the same, Dean growing more and more confident with each order as customers cycled through. Bayley made it in an hour after Dean started, shooting him a grin as he scribbled down another order to pass back to Cass.

“Bo wasn’t lying, he did say you were a natural!” The young omega female grinned, giving Dean a small pat before she cycled over to her own assigned tables.

Meanwhile, Roman mulled over some new potential menu additions with Enzo, tasting some of the concoctions he and Cass had conjured up. He was on the fence with caramel sugar waffle pancakes. Sure, it was tasty, but almost too sweet, at least for his own palate. Enzo was inclined to agree.

“That’s what I’m sayin’, but Cass keeps on insistin’ it’d be a good addition. I just, I dunno, y’know?” Enzo shrugged his shoulders.

“Maybe we should get someone else’s opinion?” Roman replied, more of a statement then a question before he called for Dean to come in his office. 

There was a weird look on Dean’s face when Roman motioned for him to come back to his office for a moment, one of hesitance and something else Roman couldn’t quite put his finger on. He tried his hardest to give Dean a reassuring, soft expression. After all, the omega wasn’t in trouble. Roman just wanted his take on something.

“Is something wrong?” Dean pondered quickly as he stepped into Roman’s office, staying as far away from the alpha as he could, avoiding eye contact. All he could think about was those moans and the tantalizing, strange scent that made him sick to his stomach. He was getting nauseous just thinking about it, face reddening as he stared down at the floor.

“No, nothing’s wrong…” Roman said softly, voice laced with concern.

“You doin’ okay, new blood?” 

“Fine, fine, ‘m terrific.” Far more exasperated than he meant to actually sound. “I-I, uh…jus’ think I might be coming down with something? Hole-y boots and all, it’s easier to get damp feet and get a cold and shit.” It’s not a complete lie. His boots did have holes in them and he did often get the sniffles because of that.

“Well, we’ll have to take care of that later.” Dean isn’t sure what Roman means, but considered he didn’t seem all that suspicious, the auburn haired male was relieved.

“In the meantime, we was hopin’ you would try out these pancakes. Let us, uh, know what’ya think?” Enzo pushed a plate forward to Dean. Well, that was surprisingly innocent and managed to put Dean’s nerves at ease.

Dark brown pancakes with what looks caramel drizzled on top and powdered sugar. Damn. If this ain’t the most decadent looking thing Dean’s eyes have ever gazed upon.

Roman cut off a piece for him from the corner, offering the fork up to which the omega bites the pancake off of the end. Perhaps he should have just taken the fork from his boss, but thinks nothing of it as he munches away. He didn’t notice the heated look that passed over Roman’s expression as his lips curled around the silverware.

“Jethuth…” Dean muttered, mouth full with the delicious, sweet and salty flavors. There were crunchy bits in it, too, reminding Dean of a carnival he went to decades ago. “’s really…really good…like, seriously good.”

“Really? Not too sweet?”

The omega pondered for a moment, deciding his words carefully. “Well, it ‘s pretty sweet, but in a good way, y’know? Like…it’s supposed to be sweet. If you’re going out to get ‘em, it’s like a type of treat. Might as well be sweet. And it is and, uh, it’s really…really good.” 

“Then that settles it. Add it to the new menus for next week, Enzo. And let Cass know.” Roman patted the other alpha on the shoulder.

“That’s a certified G to you, boss.” Enzo waved him off, before sliding out of the office. Dean couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the alphas’ interaction.

However, now that the other alpha is gone there’s a heaviness in the air. At least on Dean’s behalf as he slowly attempted to inch away. “’m gonna, uh…go back to takin’ orders.” He stumbled over words slightly, being completely silent when Roman grabs his wrist gently.

“W-Wait!” It burned, the skin to skin contact before Roman smiled warmly. “Thanks for your help…” He breathed out after a moment. “…seriously, Enzo and I were at a loss and…” He swallowed then, loosening his already gentle grip on Dean’s tantalizing thin and pale wrist. “…you’re doing awesome. We’re…glad to have you here.”

Dean was impossibly red, almost to the point of looking feverish until he nodded. “T-Thanks.” Before he scrambled out of his office quicker than Roman had seen any person move. 

Well, that was strange, but at least the omega wasn’t completely blowing off any praise. He was less vocal then before, perhaps nerves getting to him more now that he had a stable job and responsibilities. Roman couldn’t completely relate, but he was glad nonetheless to help the pretty, breathtaking omega get back on his feet. Even if he could never be anything besides the boss that wrote his checks.

Instead of dwelling on that last sentiment too long, Roman decided to phone Seth to see if “Legit Sneaks” could help out in any way with Dean’s sniffles problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this wasn't that eventful...


	8. Chapter 8

Seth pulled into the snowy parking lot of Roman’s restaurant like he did every day during lunch time. It was quiet today, a small holiday festival being held in the town’s main square downtown assuring business would be slow. Good, it meant he could enjoy lunch with his mate without many distractions.

He shivered out of the cold, noting there was only one table that had customers, that college student Bayley currently taking their orders before Enzo nodded in recognition of the beta.

“I’ll get da boss for ya.” And he disappeared in the back, Seth sitting down at a booth before he’s greeted with a sweet scent, Dean with a notepad in hand.

“C-Can I take your order?” It was half playful, half serious and the omega had a ghosting of a smile over his lips.

Seth glanced over the menu for a moment before he replied. “Sure. Green tea and a paleo salad?” He can’t helped but full on chuckle when Dean made a disgusted face, but the omega scribbled it down quickly. Yeah, he had this to keep his figure up and a strict diet was one of the ways he maintained it.

Roman filtered out from the back shortly after Dean slid the order to Cass through the window. The omega glanced back at the table where his mate and boss sat, quickly looking away as they quickly pecked on the lips.

“So you said over the phone you needed a favor…” Seth began, smiling up as Dean placed his green tea in front of him and salad, Roman waving off Dean with a ‘thank you, but no thanks’ when he asked if he needed something.

The alpha motioned for his mate to come in closer, voice just above a whisper. “Dean, he…his boots are awful. Falling apart and a mess. He’s actually got a bit of a cold, maybe even a fever, thanks to snow leaking into the holes. I was wondering, if…maybe you’d be able to help him out back at your office? If you had any extra boots in stock or…if we had to do a custom order…I could pay for it?”

The beta munched at his salad for a moment, trying to run through the catalogue of what they had back at the office. Chances are they didn’t have Dean’s size, probably needing a custom order or something, but that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. There was another concern he had. “You think Dean would go for that? I mean…you know he doesn’t like handouts. And I feel like he’s really starting to trust us. I just…” Roman nodded in understanding, waiting for his mate to finish his thoughts. “…don’t want it to all be undone by offering too much, you know?”

“I do, but I found a way to spin it that I think Dean would, well, I think he’d go for it.” Seth looked a little unsure, picking at an almond on his plate before Roman took his free hand and gave him a smile. “Please, baby, trust me. I won’t ruin all we’ve built up with him, I promise.”

Those reassuring words were met with a nod before Seth breathed out. “Well, since it’s super slow, if you don’t mind and Dean agrees to it, I can take him over to get measured today?”

Roman nodded, before motioning over to the omega he had been chatting a little bit with Cass through the window. He was glad at how well the younger male had seemed to blend into the place, still nervous but slowly relaxing as each shift passed. “Seth here was gonna take you back to Legit Sneaks and get you fitted for some boots. I’ll be covering the payment for them.”

Dean visibly tensed, light eyebrows drawn down as his hands form into fists. “Don’t need free shit, don’t need handouts.”

“No, you don’t.” Roman started, Seth impressed by how even tempered his alpha partner was coming off. He really had been working on getting his own temper and instincts under control. “But this ain’t a handout, it’s a business investment. I don’t need you sniffing and sneezing while serving our patrons, alright?” His voice was firm, but understanding as he continued. “I know you couldn’t help it and the weather’s been shit, but if we can try and prevent it in the future, then we should take all precautions, right?”

His voice wasn’t condescending or overly aggressive and Dean nodded his head in agreement. He really couldn’t argue with that sound logic. Small investment at the time to prevent Dean making a bad impression on future customers, which could accumulate to a large cost. “A-Alright...’m…gonna go get my jacket to leave, then.” Seth’s empty dishes were whisked away then before Dean disappeared to the back.

“Well, call me impressed.” Seth snorted a little, a nasally chuckle following. “That was pretty smooth, Mr. Reigns.”

He let out a gust of air, laying his head on the booth’s table. “Hate havin’ to talk to him like that, but it’s the only way he’ll respond well…it’s like the guy, he just…can’t take any kind of kindness or sympathy, y’know?” Roman grumbled, Seth standing up and shrugging on his jacket before he gave his mate a kiss on the cheek.

“I know, big man, I know talking to him like that goes against what your mind and body is telling you to do, but…I’m proud of you for keeping yourself in control.” Another smile and small peck on the lips before Dean emerged from the back with his battered leather jacket shrugged on and zipped tight.

Dean was silent for most of the drive over, almost sulking at first before Seth switched on some deathcore, to which the omega grinned at. “You listen to this shit, man? Didn’t peg your hippie, salad eating ass for this kinda heavy shit.”

“Well, yeah, it’s…pretty damn good, actually.” Seth head banged at a red light, leading the omega into a laughing fit. God, he had a beautiful laugh, all teeth and dimples with squinty eyes. Seth could get used to that laugh.

The playful banter over music almost put Dean at ease…almost. Until Seth mentioned Roman offhandedly, joking about how the alpha would wrap a pillow over his head in their bed whenever Seth blasted his music in his headphones.

Them, in bed. Bodies touching, grasping, mouths kissing bare flesh and moans. Those smells, so many goddamn smells.

Dean grew quiet then, folding his legs up close to his body as they stopped at another light, staring out of the window as he attempted to take in steadying breaths.

Seth chewed on his bottom lip, hoping against hope he didn’t cross a line, that Dean would still trust them as the days passed. He pulled into the driveway of his office, dead set on helping the omega in a manner he was very confident in.


	9. Chapter 9

The office was as clean and sleek as Dean would expect, based on the stylistic choices of the beta he had observed on a day to day basis. Always well-tailored suits, sleek and fitted, modern and cool.

“Hey, Mr. Rollins!” Vibrant, purple hair flopped back from the front desk as a woman smiles up at Seth. “I just finished up a phone call with Kofi. He said he’s gonna stop by in a few to check on those mockups we made for their customer sneaker orders.”

“Fantastic.” Seth paused, before motioning for Dean to come forward. The omega had pretty much been glued to the front door, afraid to touch anything or move in close. He really didn’t belong in such neat, business-y places. “Sasha, this is Dean.”

“Oh, Dean, it’s nice to you meet you!” She smiled, offering her hand out which he took hesitantly. It was warm and soft, so unlike his own. Her smile was almost knowing, as if she was in on a joke that Dean wasn’t and it bothered him a tad.

“Likewise.” A curt reply, the omega feeling a bad mood bubble up before Seth ushered him in the back, giving Sasha another smile of his own before they’re led down another hallway.

The beta talked about the building and the business a little, Dean finding it all rather fascinating. They didn’t have ton of employees, only about 10 or so in the office itself and most were out all hours of the day grabbing contracts for mass orders and whatnot. They actually owned a plant a few states over that had 50 employees, all paid well and highly skilled that handcrafted each order.

It was so far removed from any job or aspirations Dean had ever had. At that point in time the omega felt so small, so insignificant. It almost made him want to run, his instincts running high as he became hyper aware of how much he didn’t belong anywhere in the world of Roman and Seth. They were so goddamn successful, mentally sane, and fucking mated. Where did he fit in the picture? Nowhere, that’s where.

Dean almost spun on his heels, ready to turn away from Seth who had just opened a door to what the omega presumed was his office, but instead of being able to jet out the front door he ran face first into a broad chest.

“You must be Dean. It’s nice to finally meet ya.” There’s a tall blond, hair shaved and neat with a full and well maintained beard. He towered over the height of damn near every alpha Dean has ever met, black frame glasses and a sweater vest matching the entire feel of the place. Despite an imposing size, Dean somehow managed to pick up that this man is an omega, his soft blue eyes being framed by long lashes and face dotted with pale freckles with soft, pouty pink lips polishing off classic features for a male omega. Soft, pretty, symmetrical. Why did he suddenly feel even more out of place? “I’m Jack. Seth has told me all about you. Can’t stop talking about you, actually.”

“Hey, don’t throw me under the bus, man!” Seth’s face turned red then, bashful before his normal cool, diplomatic and calm demeanor took over once more. “You were just the person I was looking for, though, Jack. You know I suck doing the measurements and, well, Dean over here is going to need a custom measured and made work and snow boot combo. You think you could do the measurements for me real quick? I got Kingston coming in to look at the designs for his sneaker orders and I wanted to help Sasha present them.”

Jack ran a hand through the sides of his well-maintained hair before speaking out, addressing Dean instead of Seth. “Would you be comfortable with me taking your measurements?” The last syllables came out rather slurred, taking the omega back a moment before he realized the other omega had a lisp. Ha. Not so perfect after all. God, why was Dean thinking like this? Since when did he give a fuck about other omegas?

“’s fine, as long as you don’t mind dealing with ugly feet.” Dean was glad his voice came off more joking than bitter, his mind a bundle of conflictions at the moment. He was tense around this other omega, almost competitive, but there was a hint of something reminded him of expensive, foreign cars that made him think he shouldn’t be too worried and that the blond was probably mated. The comment about Seth talking about him a lot also made him flush a little inside, sneaking a hand through the unzipped portion of his jacket to rub his collarbone. Old ticks die hard, it seemed.

“Oh, trust me, I have seen some weird shit in my day.” He chuckled, before Seth wandered off, assuring Dean he would be back soon enough. “It’s nice to be around another omega, though, Dean. Where are ya from if you don’t mind me asking? From good old Oklahoma.” It became a little more obvious with the small twang in the other’s voice.

“Um…Ohio…” He tried not to tense as the omega sat him down at a special chair through the door Seth had opened, that seemed to have more technical uses than simply measuring feet. “…w-wait, how’d…how’d you know I was an omega?” He suddenly felt defensive. “Seth tell ya?”

“What, huh, oh no. Well, not directly.” The blond kneeled down, concentrated as he used some type of weird contraption shaped like a metal heel on Dean’s foot. “But I mean…y’know, you smell like one.” He shrugged. “Us omegas are usually good at picking out who’s who, is all. Just that there are some things you can talk about with other omegas that betas or alphas, just, well…they just don’t get. Didn’t, uh, didn’t mean to offend.” He scribbled down something on a notepad before moving to use another tool on Dean’s foot.

“Hmm…nah, man, you didn’t.” He started twiddling his thumbs nervously. Today just was just a whole accumulation of making Dean feel inadequate, wasn’t it? The urge to run away still ran deep, hating how out of place he felt.

From money to success to clothes to his secondary sex to his looks and his intelligence. He just wasn’t enough, so why did Roman and Seth spend so much time on him? He was broken, didn’t function like a normal omega at all and even then, those two were mated to each other. What could they possibly see in him as a friend or, god forbid something more, that they didn’t already get out of each other?

“Are you okay, Dean?” A concerned tone and a gentle hand tapped his wrist.

He was crying, soft tears had begun to fall down Dean’s cheeks, unbeknownst to him. When? How? Why? It hurt, fucking hurt more and more because despite all Roman and Seth were doing for him, something was still broken in Dean, something innately wrong that no one could fix, that he could never put his hands on. “What…what the fuck?” He tried to laugh off, rubbing his leather jacket’s sleeve of his eyes quickly before Jack pulled his hand away from his face, offering him some tissue.

“I meant what I said, Dean. I know we just met, but if…if there’s anything you need to talk about, something you don’t think others would understand, you can talk to me, okay?” Jack said nothing else as he went back to measuring Dean, switching to his other foot.

Thankfully the goddamn waterworks had stopped, but there was still a sinking feeling in his gut. He didn’t like opening up, didn’t fucking talk about his feelings cause it solved nothing, but part of him felt like this omega was genuine, that the concern was honest and pure. Fuck, Roman and Seth were making him soft. “Somethin’, uh…somethin’s wrong with me…y’know? Like…like shit jus’…doesn’t work right.” Voice tight, broken as his hands clutched around an unused tissue. Confining to a stranger wasn’t on the list of his priorities today.

“If you mean medically…” Jack started, finishing up scribbling down the last of Dean’s measurements before he began to put his tools away. “…I know a great omega clinic in town. I can give you contact info of a doctor there that’s fantastic.”

Christ, was Dean this much of an open book? He bristled against the suggestion regardless. Great, get poked and probed and called a freak for the millionth time in his life. Sure, Jack was being nice, but Dean couldn’t help but shove the post-it note with the doctor’s information into his pocket. “Thanks, man.” Tight-lipped and tense as he stepped out slipped off of the chair, hoping Seth would be done with his meeting and be able to drive him back to work.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT LIVES!

As it turns out, Seth was in fact not done with his meeting, but Dean had the misfortune of not discovering that until he busted open the door with a petulant hump. He almost wanted to crawl out of his skin or hoped for a black hole to open up when Seth, his client that was a beta with dreadlock ponytails and a nice suit on, and Sasha all stared over at him.

“’M sorry, I-I…”

“Nah, dog, it’s cool.” The beta quickly waved his hand, looking down at his watch. “Ms. Banks and Mr. Rollins and I were just finishin’ up here, don’t worry about it.”

“It’s alright, Dean, you can take a seat.” Seth said, warm and soft as they finished up their discussion, all three of them looking back at the mockup designs and talking business.

It all kind of flew over Dean’s head and he felt like a goddamn incompetent child, busting in on the adults talking like an idiot and sitting on the outside looking in. He hated it, hated how useless and stupid he felt at that moment.

Fortunately, the meeting seemed to wrap up rather quickly, with Mr. Kingston being quite pleased with the custom sneakers, of which three different designs seemed to be laid out. “Seriously, you guys have been awesome. This will be by far the coolest gift my mates have ever gotten for Christmas.”

Instantly Dean whips his head up from where he’s been sitting, confusion on his face. Before he can even catch himself, he blurted out. “Mates?”

“Yeah…Xavier and E…” Kingston blushed, giving a small smile to Dean. “I’d be a mess without ‘em, man. E the cutest omega I ever saw and Xavier the geekiest and sweetest alpha. I love ‘em so much, man. Sometimes it’s hard to shop for them, give them something that really means a lot. But ol’ Seth here is giving me the hookup. They’ll be the happiest mates on the planet come Christmas.”

Seth took note of the interaction between the two, Kofi saying his goodbyes and telling Dean it was a ‘pleasure to meet him’. As soon as both Sasha and Kofi left, Dean shot Seth a concerned look.

“’m sorry, I didn’t-…and then I said that weird shit to ‘em…I-I…” Dean scrambled, looking like he might run out of the conference room at any moment.

“Relax, it’s cool….Kingston’s one of our more relaxed clients and he’s honest. If he was actually annoyed, you would have known that.” Seth waved him off, giving Dean a small pat on the shoulder and a sincere smile. “C’mon, let’s get you back to the restaurant.” He tossed on his winter coat, motioning for Dean to follow him back to the car.

The ride started off silent, before Seth decided to breach the heavy air. Dean seemed lost in thought, like something was bothering him and his distant expression made it quite obvious, too. “So, did the shoe measuring go well?”

“Yeah.”

“Jack’s an awesome guy.”

“Seems nice.” Dean muttered, hand clutching the post-it note in his pocket with that doctor’s information. He shifted in the seat a little, looking as if he wanted to say something. He hesitated, but the reassuring gaze Seth gave him when they got to a red light before he focused back on the road gave him enough confidence to speak. “P-People kinda…do they do that two mate thing often?”

“Hmm? Oh, like Mr. Kingston?” Seth couldn’t help how his heart skipped, a brief thought of him, Roman, and Dean in their situation causing him to swallow roughly. “Not…super common. I mean, y’know, sometimes it’s a lot of me to just manage Roman, but sometimes…I think sometimes three people just…click. And they need all three of them to feel complete. I…I dunno know exactly how it works, it’s not super common, like I said, but for those people who wanna do it, who feel that connection, it’s…well, just right for them. They need all three mates to feel whole.” He shrugged, hoping the response he gave made sense.

“Oh.” Dean replied thoughtfully, gaze distance for a moment as he thought about what it would be like. He couldn’t manage one mate, the thought of having someone permanently tied to him, that loved him unconditionally, let alone two. He was too…broken for that. “Must be…pretty insane, right?” He smiled, feeling an odd level of dampness in his eyes as Seth pulled up to the back employee parking lot. “Having a mate and all…” He shook his head. “…someone to love ya…t-to put up with your shit…c-can’t imagine…”

Seth felt something lurch forward in his chest and before he could control himself, he leaned forward, taking Dean’s jaw in his hand and tilting his head to face him. Those blue eyes, damp with some unbridled and poorly disguised sadness refused to meet his own. He shifted in his chair, tilting his head out and placing the lightest of kisses on Dean’s lips.

It was faint and soft and perfect. Dean felt perfect, smelled amazing and just right in his hands. As much as he loved Roman they both knew that there was something missing, a link they needed and in that moment he knew it was Dean. It had to be Dean.

Except Dean pulled back, face burning red and a horrified look on his face. It was a mix between disgust, betrayal, and almost a hint of fear with something unreadable.

“D-Dean, I-I’m sorry, I…” Seth started to babble before Dean scrambled out of the car, rushing into the back door and disappearing into the place. The beta mentally cursed himself, the air laced with a smell that was heavily of panic and rage.

He managed to catch up to Dean who had unceremoniously thrown his jacket somewhere and had tugged on his apron, going out into the dining area to start taking orders.

Seth knew he should have let him be, shouldn’t have followed him out to working but he couldn’t help it, that look on Dean’s face haunting him to his core and burned into the back of his mind. How could he betray Dean’s trust so easily, so selfishly? “Dean, please, please stop!” He stepped right out into the middle of the dining area, grabbing at his arm and Dean whipped around, glaring at him.

“Fuck off!” He shouted, the bustle of the lunch rush falling silent as he shouted, glaring at Seth. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me! Jus’ go away and keep ya goddamn hands off of me!”

Seth recoiled instantly, but the scene had already had its impact and Enzo filtered out into the area, quickly followed by Roman.

“Hey, wha’s going on out here?” Enzo asked, eyes widening at the angry tears that were falling down Dean’s face. “Whoa whoa…kid, hey, hey c’mon, let’s get you back to Cass, c’mon…” He quickly ushered Dean out of the main area into the kitchen.

Roman glared at Seth, before motioning silently for his mate to follow, hoping that the patrons weren’t put off by such a show, but even more so wanted some goddamn answers.

“What the hell was that, Seth?” Roman barked out once they made it back to his office, biting his tongue before he could say anything else.

“I fucked up, Roman, I fucked up so bad.” There were tears already in Seth’s eyes and that dissipated a lot of heat in Roman’s chest the alpha softened a bit as he saw his mate sit down, rubbing at his eyes and running nervous hands through his hair.

“What…what happened?”

“I kissed him, Roman, I…I’m so sorry, I just…” Seth sobbed softly, to which Roman wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close to his chest. “…I betrayed his trust and yours…I was w-weak, but it felt so right, I just…god, he is what we’ve been missing, he is!” The beta insisted, clutching tightly onto Roman’s shirt, shivering in his hold.

Roman bristled a little, staring down at Seth. It was something they rarely talked about, but was a persistent thing even before Dean was in their lives. That overlaying emptiness that was innate in their mating, that they both tried to push into the back of their minds, to not even address it. Roman kissed his forehead softly, patting Seth’s back. “Don’t worry, baby, it…it’ll be okay. We gotta give Dean time to cool off and you’re going to apologize, sincerely, and…all we can do is hope for the best.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“I’m furious.” Roman replied without missing a beat, Seth’s face falling. “You did break his trust, that we were both trying to build up, but…I can’t fault you for it. I…I get what you mean…h-how you’re drawn to him. It’s hard…workin’ every day with him and smelling him and just…I get it. One of us was going to cave eventually.” He stroke a hand down Seth’s back, giving him a small kiss. There was still remnants of a taste that was all Dean, Roman’s heart fluttering at that as he took in a shaky breath. “Why don’t you take it easy, huh? Go back to the office, eat some lunch, and we’ll talk about it later? Okay?”

“Okay.” Seth nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help the guilt that he felt, anxiety laced in his body as he drove back to his office. Some good friend he was, shattering the compassion and trust he and Roman had tried so hard to build for Dean. He spent the rest of his day locked up in his office, moping over paperwork and trying to figure out just how to apologize to Dean. Nothing seemed like enough, nothing seemed like it could remove that betrayed look on the omega’s face.

-

Dean idly picked at the plastic container of biscuits and gravy Cass had given him, munching away. Objectively it was delicious, but his stomach had been in quakes all day and his appetite nonexistent. He shifted on the bench, staring out into the empty pool. He normally enjoyed his peace and quiet at these wee hours when the gym was pretty much empty save for snooty Tyler.

He kept playing back that kiss, the feeling of Seth’s lips on his own. It caused his entire body to quake. If he really concentrated, Dean could swear he could still feel the light pressure, that spark that traveled all over his body.

He hated it. Hated the lies, hated the broken trust, and hated the manipulation. Fortunately Roman hadn’t bothered him for the rest of his shift and Seth was nowhere to be found. Maybe…maybe it could stay like that, for forever now. Because he just needed to be alone. He needed it to stop, all of it to stop. He could feel himself teetering on dangerous once more and part of him feels as if Enzo hadn’t intervened, he might have done something he regretted. And as furious as he was with Seth and by proxy Roman, he would never want to hurt him.

“Dean.” Broke him from his thoughts, looking over at Roman, whose hair was pulled up in a loose bun, eyes soft and understanding.

“Hey.” Dean waved up at him, trying not to tense too much. “’m sorry about how I acted early. Didn’t mean to make such a scene.”

“It’s alright, I know…I know Seth upset you.” Roman walked over to him, keeping a healthy distance as he sat on the opposite side of the bench. “Seth is usually so cool and calm, y’know? But sometimes I think that’s what makes him act all impulsive at times, like everything just boils over at once.”

Dean could understand that, shaking his head in understanding before nipping at another spoonful of the mushy goodness. “Guess I can get that. I just…”

“Doesn’t excuse it, though. But…he’s sorry. Really is. I, uh, might have yelled at him a bit, too.” Roman shook his head a little, looking amused and it made Dean chuckle. Roman reached an arm out then, laying a hand on Dean’s shoulder. It was much like how Seth had patted his shoulder at the office earlier and that set a level of uneasiness in Dean’s stomach, the food going almost sour in his stomach instantly. “We’re…really both just a couple of idiot meatheads. But we’re still here for ya. We understand if you need your space. But when or if you’re ever ready, Seth would like to apologize to you himself.”

Roman smiled, soft and sincere, hand slipping down Dean’s shoulder and laying idly on his wrist, giving his hand a gentle pat and there was a glint in Roman’s eye, something that Dean couldn’t read and made him shake a tad.

“O-Okay.” He choked out, pulling his hand away from Roman and scooting out of the bench, standing on wobbly legs.

“You okay?” Roman asked, standing up slowly and moving a bit closer, noticing Dean’s physical uneasiness. He stepped in closer, before he was punched in the stomach with a strong, pungent smell and he nearly growled. It slowly dissipated into something pleasing, coiling low in his stomach and causing him to lean in close, shamelessly whiffing at Dean.

“Stop…b-back off…” Dean pushed at him slowly and Roman obliged, although his face was drawn down and serious. “…s-sick of you both…” Dean protested weakly, feeling a strange, sick and heavy feeling in his gut. “…sick of you dickin’ around with me.” His voice started to grow in heat and malice despite the physical weakness coming over his body. “Do you guys get off on this shit, huh?”

“Off on what, Dean? I…I don’t get…” Roman couldn’t quite follow his logic, he thought Dean understood, that things were at least on the path of being repaired, but something was washing over Roman regardless, making his own mind muddled.

“On fuckin’ with me! Makin’ me miserable a-and sick…toyin’ with me!” He breathed out heavily and Roman leaned forward, offering out a hand to try and support him but Dean batted it away quickly. “Jus’ please…please let me work in peace. Thanks for the shit you guys have done, but I jus’…please…leave me alone.”

“Sick? W-What...” Roman seemed to suddenly be sweating, hands shaking in fists at his sides and nostrils flaring as Dean felt his stomach wake. He wasn’t sure if he was going to vomit or what, but he couldn’t stand in front of Roman much longer. “If you…if you need us to back o-off…we…w-we can…” He sound pained as he replied.

“Yeah, I do.” Dean choked, but something felt wrong just replying assent to them drifting apart. He didn’t want that, not truly. In fact all he wanted to do was reach out and touch. And he did, laying a hand over Roman’s chest, rubbing slightly. In the back of his mind hazily he recognized it as one Seth had worn before.

“Dean?” The question was lost to him as he pulled his hand away from Roman’s chest, the smell of both Seth and Roman heavy on his fingertips. The omega looked woozy, confused for a moment before he stormed past Roman.

When he made it to one of the numerous empty bathrooms, he pulled off his clothes with unsteady hands and a stone in his throat. He found the seat of his underwear was damp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Let me know!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter already? What muse monster has possessed me?

Seth had just finished a set when Roman appeared back into the weight room. He quickly pulled out his headphones, looking up. “How did it-“ He was cut off before he could finish speaking, Roman grabbing him quickly and smashing their lips together.

There was this intoxicating, all-encompassing scent complimenting Roman’s own natural one. It was tantalizing and so painfully Dean. “I-I…Seth, he smelled so good…I didn’t…I didn’t touch ‘em and he’s mad at us, but God he smelled so good I…” Roman choked, so painfully worked up and Seth could fully understand why, the sweet scent permeating off him in droves. He took Roman’s hands in his own, gasping when he noticed where Roman had dug cuts into his own palms. “…I-I held back, but he…Seth…I need you, please…”

Seth nodded, kissing him quickly and heavily, petting at Roman’s sides. “C’mon, let’s get out of the weight room and I’ll take care of you, baby.”

He damn near had to drag Roman into the locker rooms, his alpha tripping over his own feet. The remnants of Dean’s scent was having its own effects on Seth, but he managed to get Roman to calm down long enough to lube himself up, before sliding down on his alpha’s dick. “O-Oh God, Seth, fuck…fuck!” Roman grabbed his hips, thrusting wildly into his beta lover like he never had before, desperation and yearning boiling over.

Roman had never rutted before and he was sure this wasn’t a full, proper rut, but it was the closest he had been to one and it was maddening. The need to fuck and love and touch and mark was overwhelming, swallowing him whole as he bruised Seth’s hips with his hands.

“Alpha, oh, alpha!” Seth cried, digging his nails into Roman’s back, clawing down his shoulders before he hungrily bit and sucked at his tongue and lips.

It was all too much, too soon, both men damn near tearing each other apart, the faint scent of their heavily desired third settling deep in their bones as they ravaged one another.

Satiation of either man was unreachable, barely managing to make their way back to their house, tripping over one another and barely able to unlock their lips or keeping away straying hands.

Roman was pretty sure they broke at least 20 vehicle laws, but it was the last of the concerns on his mind as they stumbled into their darkened house. He took Seth on their kitchen floor three times alone, bods laced and locked for what seemed like countless times, bodies only stopping when they became physically unable to continue. Seth sobbed out, begging for more, begging for completion and Roman went as hard as fast as he could.

There were plenty of orgasms had that night, to the point of almost teetering on painful and animalistic, but there was something fundamentally missing, something beyond just physical connection. They both knew what it was, but were too exhausted, to wrapped in one another to express it beyond their silent yearnings between the wet slap of flesh to flesh.

-

When morning came, Dean was relieved to find his underwear dry, but it didn’t do anything to calm his nerves one bit. Something was wrong, the night prior feeling like a dream and there was still a heavy feeling in his stomach.

He didn’t have work until later and had spent nearly an hour straight staring at the post-it note with the doctor’s information on it. ‘Dr. Wyatt’ was written in Jack’s neat cursive writing. Dean continued to stare at it intently for a few more moments, waiting for it to burst into flames until he finally took in a shaky breath and made his way outside.

Much to his shock, payphones did still exist and the gym had a few lined up in the back. He dialed the number slowly, heart beating a mile a minute. 

“This is Anderson Street Omega Clinic, this is Luke speaking, how can I help you?” The voice was gruff, but soft and caring and Dean took a few unsteady breathes before replying.

“I’m…I-I…” It was so hard to speak about this, to get himself under control and calm over having this.

“It’s alright, sir, just stay nice and calm. I’m here to help. Can you tell me why you’re calling?” The receptionist had a rather reassuring, albeit eerie, voice.

“U-Uh, yeah, I…w-was referred by someone…b-been having some…some omegine health concerns…s-said to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wyatt?”

The rest of the phone call went rather smoothly, Dean’s fears dissipating rather easily as this Luke person talked to him, taking him seriously and explaining that their clinic worked on a sliding scale payment so it wouldn’t be expensive for Dean to visit even without health insurance, and they managed to fit him into an evening appointment later on in the week.

After hanging up the phone, fingers cold as he huddled into his leather jacket, he actually didn’t feel half bad. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up, didn’t anticipate this doctor to be an exception to those he visited when he was an adolescent and first starting having these health problems. But it did feel good to be treated with respect and spoken to kindly by stranger, to do something ‘adult’ and not feel like a failure at it.

The only other people who had been decent to him in his entire life was that pregnant beta Rosa, that random alpha that gave him a ride, Jack, the people he worked with, and Seth and Roman.

Shit, Seth and Roman. God, Dean felt so guilty, dread rising up as the events of yesterday played back in his mind. As he made his way to the bus stop he mulled over it, again and again. Seth’s lips, Roman’s kind words and soft smile. The way his underwear managed to somehow dampen like he had damn near pissed himself.

He didn’t want to think about it, just trying to uncover the muddled mess of yesterday gave him a headache.

-

“Damn, big dog.” Enzo whistled, noticing the claw marks down Roman’s back, the tops of them peeking out from underneath the tank top he insisted on wearing in his temperature controlled office. “Dat’s…you get attacked by a lion or somethin’ las’ night?”

“You’re a big boy, Enzo, you can piece it together for yourself.” Roman looked well fucked, although restless. His hair was a rumpled, knotted mess, his eyes tired with more bags than usual, and was drinking coffee like it was air.

“Well if ya lookin’ diss messy, then I hate ta see what poor Seth looks like, man.” Enzo punched him in the shoulder playfully. “Da hell ya do to that beta to have him goin’ wild like that?”

“Ya ain’t gonna be doin’ it to me if you twos don’t stop talkin’ nasty!” Cass called from the kitchen managing to kick open the office door and throw a washcloth on each of their faces and shutting the door again in a matter of 10 seconds. “Now c’mon, back to work with the both of ya!”

Enzo paused for a moment, before sliding the washcloth off his face and sucking his teeth. “Well, uh, that settles that.” The alpha scurried back into the kitchen, beginning to help Cass with some prep.

While Roman worked on straightening out some paperwork in his office, Dean stomped in from the outside, hanging his jacket on the hook near the backdoor and stepping into the kitchen. He had gotten used to a small cup of coffee before his shift, compliments of Cass, and this morning was no exception.

“You will experience good fortune in the near future, in an unexpected place!” Bayley read off of a newspaper, Enzo looking on attentively.

“Ya don’t say? Hey, big guy you hear ya horoscope? How’se about we play the lotto tonight?” Enzo nudged Cass, scooting out of the way of the coffee machine so Dean could pour himself a mug.

“Don’t think the lotto counts as an unexpected place, ‘Zo.” Cass shook his head, finishing up a plate of pancakes and another plate of French toast that the lone couple ordered, sliding them into the opening which Bo whisked out and placed to them with a smile.

“Dean, what’s your Zodiac?”

“Dunno.” He shrugged, pouring a little too much sugar into the mug, stirring it idly.

“Birthday?”

“December 7th.” He replied with a shrug. Dean wasn’t sure if he bought the horoscope stuff, obviously evidenced by him not knowing his Zodiac. But he was willing to entertain his coworkers. The term still sounded strange to his own thoughts, that he had employment, that he had coworkers.

“What, no kiddin’! I’m the 8th, new blood!” Enzo nudged him. “So would make ya a Sagittarius!” He paused, when a lightbulb suddenly went off in his head. “And dat also means ya gonna have to come to Seth and the boss’s house for a combined b-day party, brother! Week an’ a half, bro, c’mon!” Enzo patted him on the chest and Bayley grinned.

“That’s a great idea!” The grin only grew larger and Cass nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I…I dunno…” Dean looked down at his mug, running his fingers over the handle. He hadn’t had a legitimate birthday in so long that he had almost forgotten it was coming up so close. The thought of going over Roman and Seth’s house…being surrounded by their bond and their scent. It terrified him, but also…the promise of hanging with his coworkers out of work and attending an actual party was also thrilling. But scary. He also was mortified at the thought of asking Roman and Seth to come after how he had acted last night.“…a-anyways, wha’s my and Enzo’s horoscope say?”

“Someone, someones, or something has recently come into your life. Their addition might have seemed strange, unexpected, or difficult at first, but give it a chance and it will make all the difference.” Bayley read aloud, Enzo tapping Dean on the chest in surprise in a quick response.

“Yo, that’s nuts! We found uh lil kitten right ousside da apartment diss mornin’. Course I dropped it off at da vet to get checked on and make sure ‘s arite. Guess we’re keepin’ her, huh?” Enzo grinned up at Cass who simply let out a defeated sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re keepin’ her.”

“Oh, oh, can I come over after work to see her?” Bayley asked gleefully, fingers crossed in a hopeful beg.

Dean smiled at the comradery around him, sighing happily into his now empty mug. He stared up at the clock until it clicked to when his shift would begin and he cleaned out his mug, punching in his employee code on the time clock and sliding on his apron to start his shift.

The morning went by rather quickly, Dean almost forgetting everything that transpired the night before until he saw Seth step through the front doors, heart in his throat. He looked over at the beta, who seemed to be walking a little stiffly and swiftly avoided his gaze.

Dean didn’t like that, not one fucking bit. He wanted Seth to look at him, he wanted him to smile at him, just like he wanted Roman to pat his shoulder when he stepped into his office earlier like he normally does, but he didn’t. He wanted them to be in his life, even if it made him mixed up and confused and even feel sick, he cared about them so much and they did so much for him, too.

He kept pushing them away, insisting he didn’t need their help, their pity. But…that wasn’t what they were offering him. People helped one another, because they genuinely cared. Dean just couldn’t recognize it, couldn’t imagine people wanting to care for him, to find him worthy. But here he was, talking to more people than he had at any point in his life that seemed to at least gave some type of shit about him. Sure, he would never be anything besides an employee or a friend to Roman and Seth, but it was better than being nothing.

“U-Um…can…‘s it alright if I talk to you guys for a bit?” Dean was nervous, especially given Roman and Seth seemed to be sending each other heated stares over the table instead of speaking much over their lunch. There was a heavy bit of electricity, the omega finding it almost hard to breathe if he got too close to the table, pulling at his shirt collar.

“What’s up?” Roman asked, Seth staring down at his salad, guilt heavy as soon as Dean approached them, the expression looking wrong on his normally cool and confident demeanor.

“Can…um, maybe alone?” Dean asked, gesturing a little wildly for amount, face flushed in embarrassment. He wasn’t good talking about his feelings, another skill he lacked that majority of omegas seemed to handle with the best of graces.

“Sure, Seth, you cool with us talking in my office for a bit?” Seth nodded, giving Dean a weak smile.

Despite the fact there wasn’t an unmanageable crowd, the privacy was welcomed as Roman and Seth sat behind the desk, Dean lounging in the chair in front of it.

“I’m so sorry, Dean.” Seth said quickly, eyes earnest and voice hoarse, as if it was well used. For some reason Dean remembered when he had stumbled past their mating in the gym, that Seth was loud enough to cause echoing in Dean’s own ears. He shivered a tad at the memory, concentrating hard to focus on Seth speaking. The glimpse of what looked like a hickey under the beta’s scarf didn’t really help in dissipating the distractions. “I just…I don’t know what came over me and I should have respected your space and I just…I feel awful about upsetting you, about hurting you…”

“’s cool…” Dean said quickly, before recoiling a little. “…I mean not, cool cool, but I…I get you didn’t mean nothin’ bad. Jus’…I was bein’ all kinda desperate and I know you just…were takin’ pity on me and tryin’ to make me feel better.”

“N-No, Dean it’s not…it wasn’t…” Seth started, shooting Roman a concerned gaze before looking back at Dean who didn’t even seem to hear him.

“…but that aside, I…jus’ wanted to thank you guys. I…I wasn’t feelin’ well last night and I…said some stuff…” He mumbled, looking down at his hands before continuing. “…appreciate all you guys have done for me…I-I do…a-and I didn’…mean what I said ‘bout not wantin’ to have anything to do with ya. I…I-I…it sounds stupid but…”

“It’s alright, Dean, you can tell us. I’m sure whatever you have to say isn’t stupid.” Roman said softly, giving him a kind smile, Seth mirroring that smile. Dean’s wandered a bit, eyes locking in on movement to the left of the table, where Roman and Seth clutched each other’s hand, the beta seemingly stroking over the alpha’s wrist.

The sight made Dean ache, although he couldn’t for the life of him imagine why. “I just…I think o-of you guys…as…r-really good friends. Although ’s a sad excuse for a friendship, huh?” He snorted, feeling himself begin to ramble at showing this amount of emotion, trying to rid himself of the awkward and foreign feelings. “All onesided and shit…heh…you guys doin’ all this shit for me while I jus’…”

“Dean.” Roman said quickly, reaching out to one of his shaking hands and squeezing it, Seth taking the other and doing the same. “We care about you.” Dean let them, for once he let them and in fact he squeezed back, heart hammering in his chest as he finally managed to make eye contact with them both.

“So much.” Seth added, Dean could feel his eyes watering a tad and he sucked in a shivering breath. “We think you’re a great person, Dean.” He continued.

“From the moment we saw you. And…we’re happy you’re in our lives, in any measure possible. We’d like to think of you as part of our weird little family we’ve built with everyone here and at Legit Sneaks…” Roman smiled and that seemed to be the breaking point, Dean letting out a sob and looking down, tears starting to fall easily.

His scent was soft, loving and sweet but with a hint of sadness as Roman and Seth clutched his hands close over the desk, letting him express himself as he needed. “I-I…” He hiccupped, shaking his head. “…almost d-died…that night…d-dunno ‘bout no higher power, b-but maybe it was fate you guys were there…I-I…t-thank you.”

He took in several shivering breathes, remembering that fateful night, how he believed he would truly die. The generosity of Roman without a second thought, meeting Seth not that long after he was jumped. It was all so much, too much, but when he looked into their eyes and saw caring and affection, not judgment or discuss…he knew then he had found some type of home.

When he finally managed to gather himself, grateful for the fact he was able to talk with them, Roman squeezed his shoulder before he headed out of his office door. “Oh…and make sure you mark your calendar for your birthday, you’re definitely coming to our house and we’re definitely partying.”

“Dammit, Enzo.” Dean cursed to himself, but the prospect didn’t seem as daunting or terrifying as before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feel free to leave feedback/comments!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update

This story and all others are on hiatus indefinitely. 

Been a fun ride, maybe I'll eventually pick it up again.


	13. Chapter 13

“We should get him something special for his birthday.” Roman grunted, shifting his feet before he lifted his weights once more. “Something he can use, but…that maybe he wouldn’t get for himself?”

“Do you think he’d go for it? Like…w-wouldn’t be annoyed?” Seth asked nervously, sipping at his water bottle, wiping down his face with a loose rag. Sure, he wanted to spoil Dean just as much as Roman, but despite their reconciliation with Dean, he was still heavy with guilt over kissing him.

“If it’s a present, I…I don’t think so. But maybe we can scope him out a little, make sure it’s something he kinda needs, like the boots, y’know?” Roman asked, laying down his weights.

Before he could express another idea, the very omega they had been discussing had trotted into the weight room. He was dressed in nothing but a threadbare t-shirt, a hole at the bottom exposing part of his thin waist and sweatpants hanging low and loose. Dean looked…breathtaking to both men. But his presence was confusing. If he wasn’t in the bathroom, pool room, or in front of the vending machines then he wasn’t at the gym at all.

“Hey, uh, Seth…can I talk to you for a sec?” Dean nervously rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting either of the other men’s gazes, before rushing out of the weight room. Seth shot Roman a concerned look before following quickly.

Seth felt awkward being alone with Dean, although he felt that must have been rather unfair. After all, Dean probably felt even more awkward. Despite their discussion Seth couldn’t help the guilt he felt, couldn’t help but feel like he had broken most of Dean’s trust.

“I was wonderin’….that Jack guy you work with…dun’t have his number on ya, do you?” Dean cleared his throat nervously, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else besides in front of Seth.

The beta was puzzled at the request, but quickly rummaged in his pockets to find a receipt, scribbling Jack’s cell number on the back of it. He finally managed to catch that blue gaze as he took the small piece of paper, clenching it in his nervous hands. “Uh…can I ask why?”

“Jus’…had a question about the boots.”

“Oh, well…” Seth leaned back against the cool wall, his heart rate failing to drop down from the exercise rate, due to being oh-so-close to Dean and his sweet scent and presence. “…I can always answer questions if you have any.”

Dean seemed to scramble for a moment, before backing up. “Uh, well…I jus’…woulda…uh…rather know from him. Din’t mean to disturb your guys’ workout…I’ll jus’…get going…” He went to turn away from Seth, to get back to his little corner of the gym to try and ease those weird nerves he always seemed to get around either one of the mates now.

“Why…why don’t you join us, huh?” Dean snorted instantly and it took all of Seth not to recoil. It wasn’t a nasty noise, just…laced with rejection. “C’mon, you’re paying for the membership anyways, right? Why don’t you get some use out of it?”

The omega thought about it for a moment before he joined Seth back into the room without complaint. He sat and watched for a while, until his eyes cast over to the punching bag, reminiscing about using one at a YOCA years ago. “Either you guys got any wrist tape?”

The sweet sweat of the omega laced the room not long after, mean right hook after mean right hook as he took out frustrations and fears on the swinging bag, back to both men. Roman and Seth tried not to stare, they tried not to scent, but they did. Seth knew come morning his ass would be as sore as Roman’s clawed up back.

Dean just had that effect on them both and it had only seemed to multiply as time went on, both men hanging on by barely a thread and when finally left to their own devices, ravaged one another but in a manner that never seemed to fill the emptiness inside. The hole in their bond.

Meanwhile Dean seemed none the wiser, unaffected and still full of his rare, secretive smiles and glowering grimaces. Little did Roman and Seth know, they had been having their own effect on him.

It went beyond just the strange physical symptoms, the aches and sweat and damp underwear and the dizziness and anxiety. Because now Dean could smell them clearly, distinctly. He never could detect a scent strong enough to ever differentiate, but now he knew Seth and Roman’s scent so vividly he could describe them in words. Both had a hint of water to them, Seth the crackle of lightning and the smell of rain in the air, Roman a soft breeze and the salty freshness of beaches Dean had only visited once.

It drew him mad, especially now as the senses laced their ways into him, mere feet away. He pounded at the punching bag harder, hoping against hope that Dr. Wyatt could help him.

That night he dreamt of hands not his own touching his body. That night he dreamt of lightning and thunder crackling on a beach, bodies bare, and skin on fire.

-

When morning came Dean found himself once again in front of a goddamn annoying ass payphone fumbling with it as he dialed the number Seth had given for Jack. After three rings he thought ‘fuck it’ but just then he was answered by a sleepy, lisping voice.

“H-Hello, who is it?” At least he didn’t sound annoyed.

Dean cleared his throat, realizing there that yeah, maybe 6:30am was a little too early in the morning for normally functioning adults who didn’t have bizarre dreams about their boss and his mate. “It’s uh…D-Dean…”

“Dean? Oh!” He could hear shifting, like sheets being pulled back the phone being switched to another ear. “Seth and Roman’s Dean, right?” The statement caused Dean to pause for a moment.

As if he belonged to Seth and Roman. The mere thought of anyone having any stake or claim over him or his own life, he would have caused Dean to flip out on someone in the past. But all he could think of was what it felt like to have his hands held be theirs. “U-Uh, yeah, so…um, I called…t-that doctor. I have an appointment for tomorrow.”

“Awesome!” Jack went from sleepy to cheerful and encouraging too quickly for Dean’s tastes. “I’m glad they could get you in so quickly.”

“But…I-I, it’s…been a long time since ‘ve been to a doctor, a-and I don’t…um…” Dean stammered, really embarrassed to be having this goddamn conversation with a virtual stranger, but Jack seemed open and honest, willing to help…

“Hey, no, I get it, man.” Jack let out a supportive hum, as if he was thinking about something. “How about my alpha, Toni, and I give you a lift to your appointment, huh? I can even wait with you in the waiting room if you want.” The other omega seemed fully comfortable with the long silence following the offered request.

Dean mulled over it, deciding that he didn’t hate Jack’s guts, like he did most people, and didn’t feel like wasting bus fare if he didn’t have to. “O-Okay, uh, thanks, man. Um, from the restaurant at noon?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

-

Roman grumbled in front of his office computer, trying desperately to figure out what the hell to get Dean for his birthday. The party was this fucking Saturday and he and Seth had still been mulling over it, sending each other texts and suggesting any variety of things. Something as mundane as a sweater to as extravagant as a car.

“He’d kill us.” Seth’s voice crackled over the speakerphone at the latter suggestion. “Besides, we don’t even know if he has a driver’s license.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Roman slid back slowly. “Gotta find a happy middle ground. Something he can use, can see why it’s useful, but is also nice and something he might not buy for himself or can’t.”

There’s a hard knock on Roman’s door after a moment and he and Seth give quick goodbyes before he stands up, stalking over to the door and pulling it open.

He’s grated by Enzo with an extremely grim expression, looking like he’s going to crawl out of his skin. “D-Dere’s a situation with da new blood boss…” He started rambling until Roman hears Dean straight up shout and he rushes into the dining area, where it’s fallen silent and Dean has a customer by the collar of their shirt. He was grateful it wasn’t too busy, but part of him distantly wonders if there’s going to be a reputation developing soon.

“What the hell is going on here?” Roman moved in close, noticing some of the fight leaving Dean’s body before he let go of the younger guy sitting in the booth. He was an unmated alpha, young and screamed of being a little punk.

“Nothin’.” Dean nearly choked out, face red and body tight in a way Roman had never seen. It wasn’t a good look for him, screaming of unbridled rage and embarrassment. He grabbed the alpha’s plates off of the table, the tension in the air heavy before he stomped off to the back. “If you wanna fire me, at least wait ‘til Bayley gets here. She’s running late cuz she had an exam this morning.”

Roman let out an exasperated sigh, making to go back to the kitchen area to talk to Dean, but one of the few other customers there that morning motioned him over quickly. She was a regularly, had been for years and always left nice, hearty tips. She motioned for Roman to come in closer as he approached the table.

“Now, Roman, dear…” She started, slow and kind. “…that waiter of yours wasn’t in the wrong.” She shook her head, shooting the young alpha over at the booth a look over Roman’s shoulder. “I saw everything. He said something to that waiter and grabbed his bottom, right there. No regard for anything. I tell you, he has the patience of a saint. I had half the mind to go over there and hit the kid with my purse myself.”

Suddenly, the alpha saw red. It was almost a furious rage and he knew his instincts had kicked into high gear because at one moment he’s leaning over the table, listening to the details the women is giving him and the next moment he’s outside, no jacket, physically dragging that alpha punk and throwing him in the snow again. “I see you anywhere again…” He could hear himself nearly growling. “…I will pummel your face in.”

On his alpha rage back inside he passed by Dean who sat at the end of the stairs, hands shaking as they covered his face. It cooled Roman’s body immediately, kneeling down slowly as he laid a hand on Dean’s knee.

“S-So…you gonna fire me now?”

“Hell no.” Roman sat back, bottom firmly on the floor in front of Dean, ignoring the melting snowflakes seeping into his tank top. “That punk was a fucking creep and you don’t have to put up with bullshit like that.”

“How did you…” He finally retracted his hands, meeting Roman’s gaze with his glassy own, before looking down at his feet.

The alpha shifted, letting out a small sigh. “That older lady…she told me what happened. She didn’t have all the details, but I can put two and two together…you don’t deserve to deal with that, Dean, no one does.”

“He said I should be at home, rubbin’ his feet and makin’ him dinner.” Dean was shaking then. “He said an omega like me should be servicing an alpha like him. I…wanted to snap his neck.”

“Dean, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.” Although what Roman really wanted to say was, 'Let's go out there, find him, and bury him'.

“Somethin’ ain’t right with me.” He said quickly in a hushed tone. “My body…s-stuff’s getting’ all weird and ‘m…fuck, Ro, I’m scared.”

Roman laid his hands on top of Dean’s own trembling ones, relieved that the omega didn’t pull away or run. “Remember that talk you and I had with Seth? We’re here for you. For anything. You’re part of our family now, okay? And we’ll always be here to support you, alright?”

“O-Okay…” Dean sniffled, giving him a small and nervous smile. “…so…did you kick his ass?”

“I mighta thrown a few punches.” Roman puffed up his chest dramatically, smiling at the laugh it tore out of Dean.


	14. Chapter 14

“Is he doing okay?” Seth hushed over his salad, leaning over as Roman munched at his burger. “He looks a little…skittish?”

“I dunno, he hasn’t told me anything.” The alpha replied, looking over faintly at a flustered Dean as he took a customer’s order. “Hopefully it isn’t because of that jackass yesterday.” 

The beta clenched around his glass of water, jaw tightening. “Still think you should have kicked his ass.”

“Trust me, I was that close…” Roman signified with a thumb and finger, before Dean seemed to just manifest in front of their table, looking even antsier.

He chewed on the nail of his thumb for a nervous moment. “Ihavetogoonbreaknow.” Was said he a hurried rush before he left, waltzing into the back to get his jacket and rushing just as quickly out of the front door and into a very familiar European import.

Seth quirked an eyebrow, kneeing Roman under the table. “That’s totally Jack and Toni’s car…”  
-  
“Ah, we’ve met before.” Toni chuckled from the driver’s seat, Jack sat firmly in the back with a very, very nervous Dean. “…remember that omega I gave a ride to a few weeks ago?” He motioned back to Dean before pulling at of the parking lot, giving the two omegas a small smile in the rearview mirror.  
“T-Thanks, man, a lot…for doin’ this…uh, thank you both…” Dean fiddled with the zipper on his jacket unable to meet Jack’s gaze. “…jus’…this shit is embarassin’ and…c-can’t bother Roman and Seth with it, ya know? They…a-already do so much for…everyone does.”

“Hey now…” Jack sat up, giving Dean a small, reassuring smile as they pulled into the clinic’s parking lot, Toni blasting the heat as he prepped to wait in the car to give the omegas space. “…everyone’s too fond of you to start feeling guilty about being in our lives. Alright? And…Seth and Roman are seriously, seriously fond of you.”

“I....am of them, too.” Dean replied quietly a warm feeling bubbling in his chest, but his feet feeling like lead as he followed Jack into the clinic waiting room. Everything was insanely sterile and white, the building well heated, but smelling heavily of cleaning supplies. He hated it, hated the memories it all brought up. Being poked and prodded as a child, his deadbeat mother finally dragging him to a hospital after he had broken his arm, only for it to spiral into parading him as a freak show, wondering how a 12 year old omega showed no signs of his secondary sex characteristics. It wasn’t normal, Dean wasn’t normal.

“Hey…” Jack nudged Dean slightly. “…they called your name.” The blonde gave him a reassuring smile, patting him on the back. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”  
Dean would have normally huffed at such a thing and blown it off, but at the time it gave him the courage to stand up and approach the nursing assistant, a tall man with a bald head and long, red beard. “Mr. Ambrose?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Right this way, please…Dr. Wyatt will see you now.” The assistant, who Dean found out from the nametag is named Erick, brings Dean back to a rather non-threatening examination room with a chair or two, some medical odds and ends, and an examination table. There was a plastic gown with no ass there and Dean bristled at the thought of having to use it. 

The following minutes were filled with Erick taking Dean’s vitals, jotting down some notes, and asking standard medical questions you would any human, regardless of secondary gender. After he’s finished he then repeats that Dr. Wyatt will be seeing Dean soon.

He sat there nervously, rubbing his hands over his jeans and trying to think about anything besides what was to come. When he managed to lull himself into a false sense of security, the examination room’s door opens and who he presumes is Dr. Wyatt comes in. He…is not what Dean expected. A man with a Hawaiian shirt instead of a lap coat, dreadlocks, tattoos, and a smile that says he knows more than what he lets on. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ambrose…” He started, sitting across from Dean. “I’m Dr. Wyatt.” He paused, taking out the clipboard Erick had left in the room and starting to flip through it. “…now with this being a primary appointment, our goal in the end is to assess your current state of health so moving forward we can properly treat and assist in maintaining good health.”

“A-Alright...” He managed to stammer out, hands shaking slightly, wishing he could do something besides lay them nervously on his thighs. 

“Now, I’m going to ask you a series of questions, son, and I want you to answer them as truthfully and honestly as possible, alright?” Dr. Wyatt looked up at him, giving that knowing smile. Dean simply nodded. “When was your last visit to a doctor?”

“Dunno…um, before I was 18.” A note scribbled then.

“If you can remember, did you have any diagnosis back then that required any prescription medication?” 

“Not that I remember.” He yanked at a jacket sleeve. He stomped out of his last doctor’s appointment at 17 when they asked if some med students could sit in on his appointment, wanting to see just what it was like to handle a patient with such a medical anomaly. Jackasses. Dean was hurting and scared and didn’t understand why his body did what it did.

“Currently sexually active?”

“No.”

“Are you now or have you ever been mated?”

“N-No…”

“Estimated date of your last heat?” Dr. Wyatt noticed the extended pause and looked up from his clipboard, tilting his head at Dean. “Doesn’t have to be an exact date, son, anything close to it is fine.”

“I…” Dean’s tongue suddenly felt too heavy in his mouth, thick and nervous as he seemed to break out into a sweat. He stood up then, mindlessly beginning to pace the room. “…g-gotta go, I…I-I have to leave…” He could feel his voice rising, ready to flip at any moment, but what was strange to him and caused him to pause was this knowing look from Dr. Wyatt, patient and supportive and he froze in his tracks.

“That’s why you’re here, son, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never heated.” Dean said quickly, sputtering almost. “Never. Fuck, don’t even know what it’s supposed ta feel like…t-thought I was maybe a beta b-but the parts in me are an omega’s…I know ‘m one…b-but it doesn’t work right and I-I get sick from it and shit…mood swings, snappin’ at people…shit got me locked up before and it won’t change.” He heaved out a shaky sigh, beginning to trembling, tears falling slightly and Dr. Wyatt was suddenly there with a tissue and a gentle pat on the shoulder. “’m fuckin’ 31 and this shit’s been hauntin’ me nonstop…”

“There, there, child…” The doctor said softly, his eerie voice somehow soothing. He motioned for Dean to sit back down, getting him to calm for a moment. “…thank you for sharing this with me. I know it must be frightening, feeling like your body is out of your control for all your life, not doing what it’s meant to, huh?” 

Dean nodded through small, angry, and frustrated sniffles. He used as much tissue as he could manage getting himself in order as Dr. Wyatt entailed the next steps.   
“Now, I’m going to order some blood work for you to get filled out next week and I’m also going to do a mouth swab right now. Some things we can test with the DNA from the mouth swab, other things we need blood for, alright?” 

After his mouth was swabbed and he managed to get himself in order and Dr. Wyatt gave him some packets of information about omega health and some steps to take when he felt himself getting emotionally out of control. 

It was a draining experience, but a reassuring pat from the doctor and his statement of “I’ll do everything I can to help you, boy” did wonders for his nerves.

“So, how’d it go?” Jack asked, looking nearly as nervous as Dean had felt earlier.

“Better than I expected.” He answered honestly.  
-  
Seth fiddled behind the desk, the coffee Sasha had brought him long since forgotten and untouched as he glowered. He and Roman had been in the midst of planning for that combined birthday party over text, but he couldn’t help the curiosity and fear bubbling up inside him.  
Dean getting into Toni and Jack’s car kept playing over and over in his head. Jack still hadn’t come back and Sasha confirmed the blonde omega had been gone for a little over an hour. To stop his thoughts from dipping into a dangerous territory, he got up and paced into the office’s lobby, staring at the fish before the front office door was open, Jack shrugging off some of the cold.

“Hey, Seth…” Jack started, sliding his jacket over the coat rack as he tapped his dress shoes off on the carpet. “…hey, you okay?” He could see the drawn down lines of concern heavy on the beta’s face.

“What were you and Toni doing with Dean?” His voice cold and to the point, moving in close into Jack’s space. Sasha looked over nervously from the front desk, chewing on her bottom lip.

“Didn’t realize you were his mom.” Jack snorted, gently moving from behind Seth. “Listen, we’ll talk in your office.”  
He was hot on Jack’s heels, shutting the door to his office almost too roughly as he threw himself into his chair, glaring up through Jack’s thick framed glasses. “What the hell were you guys doing?”

“Helping him, alright?”

That stopped Seth in his tracks almost instantly. “Helping him? H-How?” He left unsaid ‘what could you guys help with that Roman and I couldn’t?’  
Jack’s expression softened, brushing back his undercut with a small sigh. “I can’t say. It’s…not my place to. Look, Toni and I are happily mated. We aren’t trying to mess with you or Dean or Roman, alright? Just…please, you guys need to talk to him. Talk about what’s going on.”

“We can’t.” Seth confided, having lost that intense gaze towards Jack long ago and looking down at his hands. “Roman and I are happy, but something’s missing and its Dean, it fucking is and we both know it.”

“Then that’s all the more reason to talk about it.”

“Roman is afraid we’ll scare him away and I fucked up and kissed him and it’s…there’s no way he trusts us. There’s no way he could feel the same way about us…and it’s all my fucking fault.” He shivered, feeling wetness in his eyes.

“First of all, it’s pretty damn obvious he cares about you guys. He wouldn’t have taken your help or spent time with you both and given second chances when both of you had your fair share of fuck ups. Just…please. I can see how much it’s affecting you and Roman…and Dean, too.” Jack sat down then, laying a hand over Seth’s and giving it a small squeeze. “Time for all three of you to take a chance.”

Seth took in a shaky breath then, blinking his eyes clear. “Yeah, you’re…you’re right.”  
-  
Dean was pretty goddamn strong, and it was impressive to see him work. He lifted 50 lbs. dumbbells with more ease than Roman had and managed to fall easily into some of the CrossFit exercises that had taken Seth months to perfect. 

He was muscular and beautiful, blue eyes breathtaking and a soft, droopy shape with a mischievous little glint. Those dimples were carved into his cheeks and gave each smile the sweetest of compliments. His voice was a sultry rasp, hands motioning animated, excited, and always so passionate.

Dean was goofy and sexy and smelled like the sweetest of pastries, not something overly expensive but something homemade and decadent and made with every ounce of love one could muster. 

After shamelessly watching Dean workout and making love to one another for hours, Roman and Seth finally decided on a birthday present.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birthday parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I couldn't get this out in time for Dean's bday, but I hope you guys enjoy regardless.

“Ya ready tuh party tonight, fresh meat?” Enzo popped a marshmallow in his mouth, grinning as he chewed on it noisily, much to Cass’s disgust, who ushered him out of the way as he prepared a roast beef and mashed potato lunch which Bo whisked from the serving window.

Dean sipped at his coffee idly on his break, giving Enzo a small smile. “Yeah, uh, kinda…b-been a while since ‘ve been to any kind of party.” It had been a few days since the doctor’s appointment and the results of testing could come in anytime soon. Despite that and the fear surrounding it, it managed to be overshadowed by the giddiness of party excitement.

He had never received so many happy birthdays in his life, excitement and a bit of shyness bubbling up at each one. He wanted to push the attention away, avoid it, but…he was working on getting better around with people. Besides, how could he not be when he was surprised with a small cupcake and a candle, having happy birthday sung to him as Roman smiled over at him with shining eyes when he first came in for his shift.

There was only a couple hours left of his shift. He had a plan to go back to the gym, wash up, and then take a bus or two to Roman and Seth’s house. He was a bit fidgety over the prospect of being around so many people for so long, but…as Roman and Seth put it, they were friends…family, at this point. 

“…so I got diss sweet ass red velvet suit, y’know…leopard print trim of a’course…” Enzo rambled on, but Dean picked up on that. Wow, so that’s what Enzo was planning on wearing to the party? It sounded fancy and Dean felt self conscious. Well, his work hoodie didn’t have any holes…he could probably wear that tonight.

He looked up at the clock as the last minute of his break ticked up. He dawned the a small smile he did when serving customers, slid on his waist apron, and got back to work.

-

Roman and Seth had just gotten their Christmas tree earlier that week and other decorations has trickled in until they were covered in cheer. Ribbons, tinsel, lights, and more adored every inch of the house in a classy manner, the house lined with simple, gorgeous off-white lights.

“You shoulda seen his face, babe.” Roman chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he finished the decorations on Dean’s chocolate cheesecake, sliding into the fridge next to Enzo’s preferred lemon lime yellow cake. He had sent Bayley in to pry the answer of Dean’s favorite type of dessert, which took nearly half an hour for him to give.

“Yeah?” Seth smiled as he popped the prime roast in the rib, which would be done just in time for them to have a dinner with their guests.

“Yeah.” Roman grinned wider. “Everyone singing happy birthday to him…he got so red.” His heart thumped in his chest, just recalling how gorgeous and flustered Dean looked. And he was going to be in their home, celebrating with them.

The beta noticed Roman stopped what he was doing and he walked over, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You okay, big man?”

“It’s just…God, Seth…” Roman wiped his eyes with his finger tips, hands grasping the kitchen counter. “…he’s the one and it just…”

“I know, love.” Seth wrapped arms around Roman’s midsection, kissing his mate’s temple. “I know it’s…a lot. But the best we can do is be here for him, right? And give him an awesome birthday party.”

The alpha nodded, Seth giving him a soft, appreciative whiff before pulling him into a soft kiss. “I love you, so much.” Roman butted their foreheads together, letting out a soft sigh.

“Love you, too…” He grinned, taking Roman’s hand and leading him into the dining room and turning on the stereo. He leaned in close, beginning to sway Roman to some classical, instrumental version of holiday music. 

He was held close, rocking back and forth. “It’s hard, but…we’ll be there in anyway he needs, right? E-Even…even if it’s not what we want, right?” At that moment, his alpha sounded so soft and lost.

“Right.” Seth’s voice was laced with sadness, kissing Roman’s temple slowly once more. “I know it hurts…it’s scary…but we can’t be selfish.”

“He’s his own person after all.” He nodded as he rocked Seth gently to the rhythm of the piano. “And he has his own troubles, concerns…and we don’t even know if he feels the way we do about him.” 

Seth swallowed at that. It was always a possibility, but hearing Roman say it aloud…it made it so real. The fact this hole could always be here between them, even if the piece missing was right in front of their eyes. “Yeah…but, promise, no matter what…you’ll always be there for me?”

“Of course.” Roman whispered. “I’ll always be here for you.”

-

Toni and Jack are the first to come with deviled eggs and expensive wine in hands, a present for each birthday boy. Then Cass and Enzo who had given Bo a lift, bringing in tow little ‘Marie’ (their new, rescued kitten), arrived with excellent eats including spinach dip and homemade cookies. Sasha arrived with a present for Enzo and Dean, Bo brought his mate Curtis with several plates of food, and Bayley rolled in last with her boyfriend Finn and Dean.

They had caught sight of Dean midway through town waiting for the bus and picked him up. At first he had protested, but Bayley with her massive grin convinced him there was more than enough room left in her beat up station wagon for him to fit.

Right now, the omega’s eyes were wide as he stared around. This house was…mesmerizing. He was only a step in the doorway and yet the entire house was sparkling, decorations from floor to ceiling, sweet and savory snacks all over, and a heady scent of thundering oceanfronts tickling his senses.

“Well, c’mon, Dean, get comfortable.” Roman chuckled, patting him on the back and helping him to slide off his worn leather jacket. 

“Happy Birthday.” Seth seemed to appear, taking Dean’s jacket from Roman to hang it up. He had a soft, knowing smile that sent a small shiver down Dean’s spine, just as Roman’s supportive hand between his shoulders did. He tried not to dwell on it.

Just as he tried not to dwell on the fact everyone was dressed to the nines, even Roman who normally just wore a work t-shirt had a crisp, dark blue button down with dress pants on, rolled up to his elbows as he passed around a tray of appetizers. Scallops wrapped in bacon, delicious and too expensive. 

Dean felt guilty, felt wrong. Sure, he managed to scrap up money to bring some soda and to get Enzo a gift, but…he didn’t fit in. He was rough and jagged around the edges, broken and incomplete. Not like Jack who laughed big and placed a loving hand on his mate’s knee whenever he told a joke in that thick European accent, not like Finn and Bayley with a newly blossoming love right before everyone’s eyes, and fuck…certainly not like Roman and Seth, close together and smiling at one another with such loving eyes as they cater to their guests.

It’s almost time for dinner and Dean stood up abruptly from the corner where he has been petting Marie, suddenly feeling too much all at once. He rushed into the kitchen, unbeknownst to him that all remaining party goers shared concerned glances.

Roman followed after Dean before Seth excuse himself, joining Roman and Dean in the kitchen. The omega was breathing heavily, his scent pained and nervous as he turned around to face the other two.

“I can’t…s-shouldn’t be here…” He slurred slightly, face feeling on fire and hands clammy, nerves boiling deep in the bit of his stomach. Roman shook his head, taking a step forward, but stops before he can come any closer.

“If…if it’s too much for you, you don’t need to stay.” It hurt to say, an ache settling deep in Roman’s chest as he glanced over at Seth.

“But…” Seth started, keeping his own distance as well. Dean didn’t need to be cornered or observed, just understood. “…this is your birthday party and there are a lot of people that care about you…and…we’d like it if you stayed.”

Dean took a moment to process the words, the scents, the gazes that Roman and Seth threw in his direction. Kind, understanding, and real. “Okay, I…wanna stay.” After a moment of rubbing his collarbone, a smile soft and secretive appeared. “’Sides…dinner smells awesome.”

-

Stuffed full of good eats and fine wine, now came cake and presents. The way Dean’s eyes lit up when he realized he was getting a chocolate cheesecake was unmistakable, as was the wink Bayley and Roman shared as the group sung happy birthday to both Dean and Enzo. 

Enzo, ever impatient, had to rip open his presents first. His favorite was the leopard print collar Dean got for Marie, grinning like a goon as he put it on her and pointed to his leopard print, well, everything, and shouted “We match, new blood!”

Dean was a bit nervous at opening his own presents, but was relieved that Marie running across the table created enough of a distraction so not all eyes were on him at once. Bayley had knitted him a gorgeous and insanely soft scarf, Enzo and Cass had gotten him a super nice carrier bookbag, Toni and Jack got him a few super comfy and nice sweaters with a few pairs of matching knee high socks, Bo had got him a set of nice hoop earrings. Dean decided ‘fuck it’ and slipped a silver one into his ear as he sat there.

Finally came Roman and Seth’s gift, a simple box adored with glittery paper and a small bow. He grinned goofy and nervous. Everything had been so special and awesome, truly one of the happiest nights of Dean’s life. What could have Roman and Seth gotten him that could make it even better? He untied the bow slowly, conscious of the couple’s eyes on him as he ripped off the wrapper and opened the box.

No way. No fucking way…a phone?

“Holy shit…” It was the newest smartphone model, fancy and expensive as shit, even engraved with Dean’s name on the back. “…I-I…there’s no way I can take this.”

“Too late.” Roman smirked, crossing his hands over his chest firmly, although his expression softened as he noticed Dean’s hand shaking. “We added you to the family plan Seth and I have…so you don’t have to worry about the bill.”

“And look, here…” Seth sat down next to Dean, helping him to turn on the phone and shows him the contacts section. “…it has everyone’s number in here and if you hit the #1 shortcut, it’ll dial both mine and Roman’s phones.” He gave a soft smile, although he could see tears beginning to form in Dean’s eyes and gently laid a hand on his back, rubbing circles.

“That way…no matter where you go or what you decide to do…you can always reach us at any time.” Roman smiled, sitting down at the opposite side of Dean.

Normally he would push away, would fight and snarl and protest, but as both men wrapped their arms around him and all there wished him a happy birthday, the only thing Dean could do was let his heart flutter at the fact he was so, so loved.

-

Legit Sneaks and the restaurant would be closed tomorrow, so everyone began to head home pretty late. Bayley offered to drive Dean back where he needed to go, but he didn’t want to be a bother. 

But sort of regretted not taking her up on the offer once he realized how late it was. 1 AM…did the buses even run that late? As Roman cleared off the tables and Seth said goodbye to the last of their guests besides Dean, the former noticed Dean staring, antsy at their clock in the front hall.

“We can drive you back, if you want.” Roman offered, although he shook his head after a moment. “It’s late and…it’s supposed to snow overnight. We have a guest bedroom down the hall if…if you’d like.”

“No pressure.” Seth added. 

“Yep, no pressure.” Roman flashed him a grin, before brushing some of his own hair out of his face.

It was late…and Dean was pretty comfortable despite the tantalizing licks of scents invading his senses ever so often. And it was cold…and he really didn’t feel like dealing with trying to find a comfy spot on the pool’s benches.

“Mm, that’d be awesome, actually…if I could…” Dean shifted, beginning to help Roman clear the table before the alpha shook a finger at him. “…wha…”

“You’re a guest.” Roman insisted, firm as he took the plate from him and whisked it into the kitchen with the others. Dean snorted, but decided not to protest. 

To think barely even a month ago he was nearly frozen to death outside. He decided to shake off the negative thoughts for the time being, gathering his gifts as Seth showed him the guest room. It was sterile and clean, like a hotel room as opposed to a hospital, but only had faint traces of the couples’ scents. Dean was a bit grateful for that. 

“Our bedroom is up the staircase and to the left if you need anything.” Seth smiled at Dean, dark brown eyes shiny and sweet. “Happy birthday, Dean.” 

“Thank you.” And then the door was closed and Dean flopped down on the insanely comfortable bed. It had been years since he slept on a proper bed, but this was heavenly. Soft and forming to his body, those faint smells of Roman and Seth caressing him to sleep.

He woke about an hour later to a bit of clanking. He stepped out of the guest room ever so slowly, peering into the kitchen where he found Seth over the sink, washing dishes with Roman wrapped around him.

“I love you, so much.” He heard Roman whisper breathlessly to his mate, who replied with an open mouthed kiss and a small whimper.

Dean’s heart thumped heavily in his chest, the aching feeling of anxiety and nerves bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. He hated that it had become familiar, it hated that it reared it’s ugly head after a magical night. He took in a small, steadying breath and rushed back into the guest room. Fortunately, he fell to sleep without much of a fit.

“Did you hear something?” Seth tilted his head to the side, peering over Roman’s shoulder. “Or…smell it?”

“Like fresh baked cookies and sweet musk, babe.” Roman had decided on, the best he could do to describe Dean’s scent. “I…we should go to him…”

“No.” Seth said quickly, caressing Roman’s beard gently, staring into his shiny gray eyes. “Let’s not ruin this for him, okay? It’s all too much, too complicated…take me to bed, please?”

-

It was well into the morning by the time Roman and Seth woke, the former having the latter’s legs tangled around his waist. Their love making was passionate, but soft last night, conscious of Dean just downstairs. 

“Guess I should make breakfast, huh?” Roman chuckled as a rumpled Seth blinked awake at him. They managed to make themselves presentable as they shifted down the winding staircase. 

Dean sat in a t-shirt too big for him and sweatpants, toying with the phone as he tried to figure out the intricate functions of a device damn near foreign to him. “Mornin’” Sleepy, ginger-brown hair messy and fluffed up with sleep.

“Good morning.” Seth sat down across from him, Roman giving a courteous wave before he disappeared into the kitchen. “Sleep well?”

“Damn right I did…bed made outta clouds or somethin’?” Dean chuckled, looking up from the device with a soft, dimpled smile.

“Aw, dammit!” Roman called from the kitchen. “Out of eggs…and milk…and coffee creamer.”

Seth shot him a look that screamed ‘you were responsible for groceries’, before shrugging. “Eh, why don’t run to the store so I can actually make us breakfast.” He stuck out a playful tongue to which Dean chuckled. “Actually, on second thought…why don’t I go with you, huh? You can carry the bags and I can get the proper dairy-free creamer.”

“Fine, fine.” Roman mocked Seth a bit, shooting Dean a grin over his mate’s head to which Dean chuckled a bit at once more.

They were so…sweet together. Bittersweet…to see what you want so badly, so close you could touch, but can never have. Dean’s smile slowly faded away at that as Roman and Seth shrugged on their boots and coats. 

“Uh, um, I can head out…” Dean scratched at his hair idly, feeling a bit rude for still being there.

“Nonsense.” Seth shook his head matter-of-factly as he handed Roman his car keys. “Help yourself to whatever in the house and the shower is upstairs and to the right if you want to wash up. We’ll make a full breakfast when we get back. Feel free to wander.”

With that, Dean was left by himself, bewildered and flustered.

-

He took Seth’s advice and wandered a bit, mesmerized by how their home managed to be so neat, but still have so much personality. Holiday decorations aside, he could clearly make out what mugs were Seth’s and which were Roman’s, who sat where, and how much love had gone into making this home.

It made him ache, deep in the pit of his stomach, the faint lickings of anxiety and nausea making him nervous. Selfish thoughts began to invade his mind as he looked at the photos of various vacations and milestones over the fireplace. He wanted to be here, wanted to be in them, it just…it was overwhelming and all encompassing.

He quickly backed away, placing a photo from Hawaii where Seth had his arms firmly wrapped around Roman’s waist back where it belonged. Maybe a shower would be a good idea, clear his mind and senses and resolve. He couldn’t think like this again about them.

He gathered a pair of sweatpants and one of the sweaters Toni and Jack had gotten him from last night, ascending the stairs. Seth had said the shower was to the right, but Dean noticed a door cracked open to the left. His curiousity got the best of him and he opened it fully, stepping inside.

Their bedroom. Where they spent their nights together, sleeping, cuddling, oh, making love and fucking. He took another cautious step inside, before his stomach spasmed violently inside, overwhelmed with the smells and memories boiling over. 

Hearing them in the showers was nothing compared to this, the scents so fresh and everything close, showing and sensing to Dean their virility. He keened, a high and foreign sound to his own ears as he dropped the clothes he had brought upstairs. 

His legs felt like lead as he stepped towards the bed on autopilot, laying flat on the quilt. The scents were the strongest here and he gasped out, feeling dampness slip out of him and coat the seat of his underwear down to his thighs.

“P-Puh…please…” Dean whined, writhing wildly and broken as he buried his face into the cervices of the pillows…dangerously aware and familiar with the different shampoos both mates used. “…ah!” He gasped, spine arching as he fumbled to reach for the phone in his pocket, dialing the shortcut key #1.


End file.
